New Neighbor, New Crush
by kitsunelove4ever
Summary: Bro Strider (Dirk) is a cool guy whose brother just moved out and he just broke up with Jake English. John Egbert just moved into Bro's apartment building and is going to school at a university. His past is a secret full surprises and scars. When Bro learns of this, he does his best to stop it. But what will happen? Who will Bro choose when Jake comes back?I don't own Homestuck!
1. Chapter 1

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Welcome, my name is Savvy! For those who are just tuning in, this is my second fanfiction and I'm super excited about writing this! My first fanfiction was JohnDave, and now I'm going to write…. (Drum roll please!) BROJOHN! I hope you guys will like this one as much as the last (for those who read My Guardian)!**

**Chapter 1**

Bro Strider, or Dirk if you were his close friend, 25 years old, sat with his elbows on his knees and face in his hands. He knew he had messed up and he regretted it. He just wanted to show his affections, not drive one of the only people he cared about away.

Bro is, or was, going out with the charming Jake English, a 24 year old from the UK. After six months, he was finally able to convince Jake to move in to his overly large apartment. His brother, Dave (20), had recently moved out and into a dorm room at the university he was attending, so he pretty much had the whole apartment to himself. To be honest it was kind of lonely and that's why he invited Jake to live with him.

Honestly, Bro thought everything was going swell! But Jake had started getting more and more stressed from his work and snapping whenever bro asked simple questions. Jake's snapping caused heated arguments ending with one of you leaving for the night.

And this brings us to why Bro is sitting alone, his heart full of regret. Short story here is he had pretty much told Jake to leave and never come back out of rage, and that led to Jake breaking up with him and storming out.

Bro stood up and flash-stepped into the kitchen. He stood in front the fridge, opening it and scanning the shelves. He sighed grabbing a mountain dew from the top shelf. _I really need to go shopping_ he thought to himself as he walked back to the living room.

He brought the bottle up to his mouth, but stopped when he heard voices and footsteps in the hall way.

Was it Jake? No, it was more than one voice. Plus the gait of both footsteps wasn't like Jake's. A few seconds later one of the people outside walked away.

There was a slight thud and the sound of keys. He heard a door open and the footsteps disappeared.

Bro turned his attention back to his soda, staring at it through his pointed shades. He heard the door open and close again. He flash-stepped over to the door and looked through the peep hole, his heart skipping a beat.

On the other side of the door, stood a guy, about Dave's age. He was somewhat tall, not as tall as him, and scrawny but not so much so where you could see his bones (A/N: Cuz that's just gross when people are so thin to a point where they have no fat or muscle .). He was wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt, which was kind of strange for being in Texas during summer. But there was one thing that made his breath hitch. His eyes were like a mix of the sky and the sea. They were a pure, deep, vibrant blue. He thought Jake's eyes were amazing, but this kid was on a whole other level completely!

The kid half walked half jogged down the hallway and down the stairs.

It was obvious to Bro now that he had a new neighbor, and what better way to make a good name for one's self then to help with the move? And he had the perfect plan in mind.

We now turn our attention to the new tenant, John Egbert who is currently wishing he hadn't worn a long sleeved shirt. It was hot as hell outside and here he was, lugging boxes of stuff up six flights of stairs to his new apartment.

But honestly, he is rather proud of himself. He finally raised enough money to pay for a few months' rent on an apartment. His dad already paying for his tuition at the university he was going to attend in the fall so he wanted to be able to pay for his own apartment. It had taken him a couple years of working a crappy job up in Washington to save up the money. He would have started college at 18 right after high school, but money issues and pride delayed that dream.

John picked up another box and walked back into the building. He noticed a tall guy with blonde spikey hair getting his mail. He was distracted and tripped on a rug corner that had been bent up. He flew forward and braced himself for hitting the floor, but the floor never came. He looked up into the pointed shades of the blonde guy. Said guy had caught him with his right arm and the box in his left.

"Ya gotta watch that carpet, lil man. Wouldn't want to get a serious injury or nuthin," the man said lifting John up and setting him on his feet. He had a recognizable accent, even if it wasn't very thick.

John laughed a bit, "Haha sorry. My name is John. I just moved here from Washington," he introduced, thrusting his right hand out.

The man shook his hand, "Pleasure," he said with a slight smirk, "You can just call me Bro," he added jabbing a thumb at himself.

John nodded and smiled. Bro's eyes widened. _Damn and I thought his eyes were stunning_, he said in his mind. "Why don't I help ya with all these boxes?" he asked.

John nodded emphatically and went to get a box from the moving van before showing Bro up to his apartment.

~About 45 minutes later~

Bro set the last box down and wiped a gloved hand across his brow. He heard John sigh and fan himself with his hand.

"Ya know, kid, long sleeved shirts and Texas don't mix all too well," He stated blatantly.

John chuckled, "Old habits die hard. Besides it's a lot cooler in Washington than it is down here."

"Why don't ya just roll up those sleeves? It would make your life so much cooler, ya know other than havin me here," he said playfully, but he saw John wince slightly at the mention of rolling his sleeves up.

His smile retuned quickly, "Nah, once I set up my fan I'll be cool enough, even after you leave the room."

John was hoping that Bro hadn't seen him wince, and the way he shrugged with a smirk led him to believe that he hadn't noticed.

"Welp, I gotta get back to my apartment. I gotta lot of stuff to do," by that he meant pack up Jake's stuff for when he came to pick them up, "I'll be right across the hall, lil man, so holler if ya need anything!"

"Alright! See ya later Bro," John waved in goodbye and shut the door behind after his guest left.

He turned around and leaned against the door, sliding down until he sat on the floor. He gently rolled up his sleeve, revealing a plethora of horizontal cuts and scars from his wrist to his elbow.

John let out a shaky sigh as he ran his fingers over some of the more recent ones. The thought of what caused drove him to this and what made him keep doing it made him choke back tears. He stood up and walked over to the couch, laying down and quickly falling asleep.

Moving the camera across the hall, we now see a rather happy Bro. He held his hand over his heart.

"How can one kid be so sweet and open to a stranger?" he asked himself.

Was he smitten? No, Strider's don't get smitten. Well that's a lie they do. Especially in this case. Jake was long gone, out of his mind along with the guilt he had.

Now all he could think about as he sat down, taking a swig of somewhat warm mountain dew was the blue eyed nerd just a few feet away.

**A/N: How about that! Pretty awesome? Kinda awesome? I think this is turning out better than I had planned! I hope you guys like it. I'm not going to stop My Guardian production just because I'm working on this, it just might take a little longer to get chapters out for this story and My Guardian, so I hope you guys will be a little patient and I will bust these chapters out as fast as I can!**


	2. Chapter 2

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Ok the only reason I'm writing this is because I hit my tumblr post limit and I finished Death note and have nothing better to do XD. And I also read this one fic where John had a tongue piercing, so now I have a head cannon where John has a bunch of piercings and works at Hot Topic…..-whispers- sexy!**

**What? No I didn't say anything, what are you talking about? I think you may be hearing things . . Anyway that's how John is gonna be in this fic, working at hot topic with lots of piercings (and they will all be mentioned and I apologize ahead of time if I misname some of the piercings) Also I neglected to mention his apartment is fully furnished so all the boxes are just personal items and not furniture.**

**Chapter 2**

John woke up on the couch. He blinked the tiredness away from his eyes and sat up, rubbing his face. He pulled his hands away realizing he hadn't put his piercings back on.

Allow me to explain, he had taken out his piercings and packed them in one of the boxes so he wouldn't have to pull them off at the metal detectors and then have to try and put them back on in the airport bathrooms, and possibly miss his flight.

He remembered the box he had put them in; he had put it on the coffee table, and promptly opened it, pulling out a medium sized black case.

John trudged to the bathroom and opened the case, gazing at all the piercings he had collected over the years. Studying his collection, he pulled out his favorite ones and laid them on the counter before shutting the case and moving it to the side.

The piercings included: A simple pair of black ring snake bites with a ball on each end, silver stud angel bites, three thin silver rings on his left eyebrow, one lobe piercing on each ear, two cartilage on each ear, and finally a bolt/stud (**A/N: or whatever it's called X3**) barbell tongue piercing the color of his eyes. Let's just say he has a bit of a piercing fetish.

After getting all of his piercings in, he walked back into the living room in time to catch his phone buzzing. Looking at the caller ID he saw that Rose was calling.

"Hello?" he said as he answered.

"Hello, John. How did the move go? Everything get there in one piece?" she inquired with a hello.

John smiled. Rose had always been there; making sure everything ran its course and was perfect. That was probably a trait she picked up from her girlfriend, Kanaya. "As far as I know, everything is here. All I have to do now is unpack, make this my space and then try and find a job," he replied with a laugh.

"You know, the store has been so quiet without you here. We still get girls coming in with love letters looking for you. Where do you think you will work?" She asked. John had a feeling there was a special reason she had called, and he figured it could be for a new job opportunity.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly, "Any ideas?"

"Of course. In fact that's the reason I called." He knew it! "I called Jade up, the manager at the store closest to you and she said she was looking for part time help and that she was willing to be flexible with the scheduling."

John nearly jumped up from happiness. Not only had he gotten an awesome apartment with a cool neighbor, but he also had a possible job opportunity! "Oh Rose what would I do without you?" he mused with a chuckle.

"Starve? Lose your apartment? Be unable to satisfy your piercing fetish?" She answered jokingly.

"Hey, don't dis the metal on my face, Lalonde, you have plenty of piercings yourself," he retorted.

She laughed, "Yes well not as many as you, hun. Anyways, my break is almost over. I'll text you the number of the Hot Topic I told you about and you can call to set up an interview."

They said their goodbyes and promptly hung up. John waited a couple minutes until his phone buzzed, alerting him of a new message. He opened it and called the number in the message.

Bro sat in his living room, tinkering with a small robot while watching Death Note. He adjusted his shades on his face, setting the robot down and focusing on the show he was watching.

He sighed and stood up. Bro had seen this episode a few times already and knew he wouldn't really miss anything new.

He walked over to the door where the few boxes of Jake's stuff were stacked. He stared at the boxes. _There is no way I'm going to let Jake back into this apartment. Not after that argument. I don't want to be sucked back into something I know I'll regret_, he thought.

Bro opened the door leading out into the hall and slid the boxes out. Closing the door behind him, he picked up the boxes and walked down the stairs.

He entered the lobby and walked into the back where the land lady stayed, knocking on the door with his foot.

The land lady, known as Roxy, opened the door, holding a martini in her hand. She smiled when she saw him and moved aside to let him in.

"Dirk darling! It truly has been forever since you last visited me!" She cried, hugging him tightly after he set the boxes down on her door side table.

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry Rox, just work and relationship problems have been keeping me away," he stated with a solemn smile.

Roxy pursed her lips and furrowed her eye brows, "Aww sweetie, I'm sorry. There are better people out there then that working stiff," She sang with a laugh as she sipped her drink.

Bro couldn't help but laugh. She really does know how to people feel better when they are down.

Roxy suddenly gasped, scaring him. Bro really hated when she did that. Yet she always did that when she had juicy gossip.

"Speaking of better people, did you see your new neighbor? The cute college student with the messy black hair?" she inquired and with a big grin on her face.

Bro smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I have. He is a cute one isn't he?"

"You know it! As soon as I saw his face a nearly fainted from his cuteness," she faked swooned, holding a hand to her forehead, "He said he was from Washington and he came here for school to become a music teacher! Ah such a responsible young man."

Bro already knew John was from Washington, but he knew he should humor Roxy and pretend like it was the first time he had heard of it. "Well that would explain why he is so pale and wearing long sleeves," he remarked with a laugh.

The two laughed and gossiped for what seemed like hours, when it really hadn't been all that long.

"I have a favor to ask Rox, those boxes I brought have all of Jake's things in them. When he comes to get them, can you give them to him? I honestly have no desire to see him or have him in my apartment again," Bro said, rubbing the back of his head.

Roxy smiled and nodded. Bro smiled back and stood up, as did Roxy. The two hugged and said goodbye before Bro headed out.

John hopped down the stairs, wearing (**A/N: My head canon Emo! /Hot Topic! John**) a black short sleeve flannel button up with blue trim along the edges and breast pockets along with a loose blue tie. He had fingerless black gloves that stretched up to his elbows and had fake belts sewn on. His pants were dark grey and he had knee high converse that also had belts sewn on, as well as all his piercings.

John strode over to the mail lockers in the lobby of the complex. He searched his pockets until he found his box key. He looked up and frowned. Of course he would get a box at the top. John was tall but not THAT tall!

He took a deep breath and reached as high as he could, standing on his tiptoes in an attempt to reach his box.

Enter Bro, who sees John reaching up for his mail. Bro looked him up and down, noticing the severe wardrobe change from a plain shirt and jeans; to… well what he was wearing now. He couldn't think of words to describe it, but it definitely suited him in a way.

A mischievous grin spread on his face.

Bro flash-stepped forward, dipping down and lifting John up, his arms wrapped around his hips.

John yelped in surprise and looked down to see Bro with a smirk on his face. He blushed slightly as he realized where Bro's arms were.

"H-hey Bro," he stammered, "Uh, why are you lifting me up?"

"I saw ya struggling with the mail box, so I figured I'd help ya out," he replied with a smirk.

John laughed and turned back, reaching back and grabbing his mail. After he closed the locker, Bro set him down and straightened up, placing his hands on his own hips, the smirk still lingering on his face.

"You know, with how tall you are, you could have offered to open the locker instead of lifting me," John stated, crossing his arms in mock annoyance.

"That's no fun," Bro replied, making John blush again, "Besides, you could just say 'Oh thank you Bro-kun! How can I ever repay you?' all anime like."

John rolled his eyes and laughed.

"And what's all this?" Bro asked, poking John's eyebrow piercings, "You weren't covered in metal the other day."

"Well I can't just leave all the piercings out! They were a literal pain to get, especially the tongue piercing," John replied, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

"Whoa, back up. You have a tongue piercing?" Bro looked like he was about to laugh, as if he didn't believe John was telling the truth.

John looked at Bro with a straight face and stuck his tongue out, exposing the blue barbell.

Bro's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

John chuckled and pulled his tongue back, checking his watch.

"Damn, I'm gonna be late," me mumbled to himself, "I have to go! Gotta get a job and all. I'll see you later Bro!" he waved at his friend, who waved back lazily, and ran out the door.

Bro headed back up the stairs, finding that his new neighbor was far more interesting than he first assumed.

**A/N: And that marks the end of chapter two! I'm hoping to focus more on this story and work on My Guardian a bit less until they both have the same amount of chapters or I finish one of them. Don't worry, I'll still write that while this is in its early stages just not as much.**

**Also! I'm starting an Ask John video thing on you tube, since I think that would be really fun and I've never done anything like that before so hey why not? And since I have no way of getting questions other than tumblr (even though people don't send me asks that often) I figured hey, let the lovely people of Fanfiction ask some questions if they want! So if you have a question for John, add them In a review or send a pm, whichever your more comfortable with, and when I start making the video's, I'll answer them along with your un unless you're a guest :P so please, ask away!**


	3. Chapter 3

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Welcome back my lovelies! I hope you have been enjoying the story so far :3 also someone wanted me to clarify their ages so Bro/Dirk is 25, John is 20 as is Dave, Jake is 24, and Roxy is 27. I also updated My Guardian so if you follow that story as well, go check it out!**

**Chapter 3**

"It's good to have you on board John! Thank goodness you came when you did! A lot of my other employees have left for different states and colleges so I'm really shorthanded! When do you start classes? I wouldn't want to schedule you on a day you have classes," Jade said. She sure could talk! John liked that about her though. She always had something to say and was able to keep conversations going.

"I start school September eighth and I have classes Tuesday through Thursday," John replied with a smile. He was lucky. As soon as they started talking for the interview, Jade had practically already decided to hire him!

"Awesome!" she exclaimed, "I'll call you about the schedule sometime in the next few days."

John nodded and waved as he left the store. He walked over to his car, a silver Suzuki he named Patronus (**A/N: That's what my cousin named her Suzuki**), that was parked a bit far back. He hopped in and put the key in the ignition. The car made the startup sounds a car usually makes, but it wouldn't start.

"Damn it, come on, not now," John swore to himself. His car hadn't broken down in years and he wasn't prepared for this now!

He sighed and pulled out his cell phone, remembering that Miss Roxy told him to call if he ever needed anything. He dialed the number and waited until he heard a familiar voice at the other end.

"Hello Miss Roxy!" John chimed.

"John, sweet heart! How are you?" Roxy asked excitedly.

"I'm doing ok, but my car is in dire need of assistance. You wouldn't happen to know any auto shops near the Hot Topic on (insert random street name here)?" he inquired, hoping there was one he could call nearby.

"Oh you don't want to go to any of those ghastly shops, with those gross sweaty men covered in oil stains. Ugh and those uniforms! The sixties called they want their fashion back!" she joked, "I mean seriously, who wears full body suits like that anymore?"

"I agree," John said with a laugh, "If there aren't any around here that are good, is there a tenant at the complex that could maybe help me out?"

"Of course! I have the best mechanic in the city! I'll send him over right away, just look for a black pickup!" she replied happily.

"Thank you Miss Roxy!" John exclaimed. He said goodbye and hung up, stepping out of his car to wait for the mechanic. He walked to the front of the car and leaned on the hood, waiting.

Bro packed up his tools into the vat of his pickup. After Roxy asked him to go help John fix his car, he immediately grabbed his tool boxes.

He hopped into the driver's seat and started his car, named Hakaru after the little dragon in Saiyuki. The car roared to life and he drove out of the parking lot and over to the Hot Topic.

John saw a dark grey pickup truck pull into the strip mall parking lot. He waved it over and the car parked in the space next to him. His eyes widened when he saw Bro step out of the truck and walk towards him.

"You're the mechanic?" John asked in a surprised tone.

"Damn straight. Best one in the city," Bro responded with a grin, "So what's up with your car?"

John shrugged, "I was hoping you could tell me. I'm no good with mechanics. I actually failed those classes in high school," he added with a laugh.

Bro smirked, "Alright then, let's see what's wrong here," he walked over to his truck and pulled out two tool boxes, setting them on the ground next to John's car. He popped the hood and got to work.

John stood back and watched from a distance, not wanting to get in the way.

Bro motioned for John to come over and so he strode over, standing next to Bro.

Bro explained what was wrong and told John an easy way to fix it just in case it ever happened again.

"Thanks a lot! I'm really glad it wasn't a severe issue," John said with a smile.

"Not a problem, dude," Bro stated ruffling John's hair, "Come on, there's a café not far from here where we can grab some pretty rockin coffee!"

John laughed and nodded, hopping into his car while Bro hopped into his, and followed him out of the lot and towards the café.

They sat at a booth in the café, John ordering a caramel frapacchino (**A/N: Which are sooooo delicious**) and Bro just ordering his coffee black.

"How do you drink plain coffee with nothing added?" John asked, adding a bunch of sugar packets to his coffee, "It's so bitter!"

"I like it that way, why do you like adding ten freaking packets of sugar to yours?" he retorted playfully.

"I like it sweet," John replied holding the cup up to his face and smelling the bitter-y sweet aroma, making him smile into the cup as he took a sip.

Bro was silent after that, watching John smile at his cup of coffee while he sipped his own. _So John likes sweet things huh? Gotta keep that noted_, Bro thought to himself.

"I heard from Roxy you have quite the anime collection," John stated, taking another sip from his cup.

"I do. Anime is the greatest thing I've ever come across!" Bro exclaimed, hoisting his cup up, "Why do you bring it up?"

"I have a collection, too," John replied with a smile.

Bro's eyebrows rose. _This kid just keeps getting more and more interesting_, he thought. "I'll have to see if it's anything compared to mine," Bro challenged.

John laughed, "I'm sure it's not as large as yours."

Bro shrugged and grinned. Then he had an idea.

"We should have an anime marathon!" he suggested.

"Totally!" John agreed excitedly. He had never had an anime marathon before.

"Ok, in a few days, bring your collection over to my apartment. I'll get the snacks and stuff and we'll go all day watching anime!" Bro said.

John nodded and they shook on it. It was definitely going to be one hell of a day!

**A/N: Yay anime marathon! I'm super excited to write about that, since I've got a few titles under my belt that I can use in this. I'll take suggestions if you guys want, but I won't promise it will be used. I'll probably update in a day or so, so keep on checking!**


	4. Chapter 4

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Yo! Here is chapter four for you guys, and thanks for recommending a bunch of different anime! I've seen a bunch of the ones you guys suggested but I probably wouldn't have thought of half of them on my own haha.**

**Chapter 4**

John sifted through one of the boxes labeled 'anime'. He had about four boxes filled with anime and another three boxes of manga. All the other boxes had clothes, books, merch, or cosplay.

He pursed his lips, trying to decide what to bring for the marathon.

After about an hour, he had narrowed it down to a box worth of anime including D.N Angel, Fullmetal Alchemist ( original and Brotherhood), Black butler I & II, Inuyasha, Hetalia (ALL the seasons), Vampire Knight, and a few others.

John put his choices into one of the now empty boxes and placed the rest of his collection in to a small book shelf next to his TV.

_Since I've already started unpacking, I might as well unpack the rest of these boxes_, he thought, placing his hands on his hips and looking over the boxes he still had to unpack.

He pulled out all the boxes labeled 'manga' and set them onto the table, kneeling down and pulling the boxes open. He pulled a handful out of the box and walked over to a second book shelf, this one much bigger, and placed them on the highest shelf.

~Another hour later~

John stood back from the book shelf with a smile on his face. This apartment was finally starting to feel like home, now that he was getting things unpacked.

Next was he unpacked his regular clothes and stored them in the dresser next to his bed and he placed all his cosplay outfits into his closet so they didn't get wrinkled or ruined. He decided to leave all his anime/fan merch in the boxes until he had decided where to put everything.

John looked over at the lone box sitting up against the wall and a sad smile grew on his face. He walked over and picked up the box, setting it on the coffee table and then sitting on the couch across from it.

He opened up the box to reveal a keyboard (**A/N: Or piano, whatever you want to call it**) that he got from his nana before she passed. He ran his fingers lightly over the keys, itching to play.

John pressed the power button and pressed the classic piano setting. He tapped the keys, creating idle tunes. He remembered a song he heard once, one he had taken a liking to and practiced constantly until he got it down.

The song was A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope (**A/N: I heard this song on Pandora and it's pretty cool!**).

He shut his eyes for a moment, remembering the lyrics and the notes, not that he had much of a singing voice but he like to sing when he played.

John opened his eyes and began to play

"And at the finishing touch…" Bro muttered as he painted a blue baseball hat on the chest plate of his newest project. It was a small robotic rabbit. He hadn't thought about what he would use it for yet. Probably just small chores around the apartment that he was too lazy to deal with.

He checked the wires hooked up to the small robot and then walked over to his computers. He typed in the codes and programming for the robot and sent them to its mainframe (**A/N: I know nothing about robots so if something there was incorrect I apologize**).

A few seconds later, the orange-red pointed eyes of the robot lit up and it looked at Bro.

Bro smirked and raised a fist towards the robot. The robot raised his fist back and connected it with Bro's.

"Sweet," Bro said, "Alright little dude, I'm gonna power you down for now." Bro pressed the shutdown button on his computer and the light from the little robots eyes dimmed until they were a dark red in color, signifying the robot was off.

He shoved his hand and moved into the kitchen, grabbing a Pepsi out of the fridge and walking into the living room, sitting on the couch in silence, the only noise came from him sipping his drink.

After a few minutes, he heard music coming from across the hall.

Bro froze; his drink halfway towards his mouth. The music wasn't anything he recognized. It was almost like it was made up, but it was still unlike anything he had heard before, and with his part time DJ gig, he heard A LOT of different music.

The music stopped.

He got up and moved towards the door, opening it and walking to stand in front of John's door.

It felt like he had been standing there forever until the music started again, this time accompanied with a sweet voice that went along with the sounds of the piano perfectly.

Bro's mouth gaped open in surprise. _Damn this kid can sing_, he thought

After the song was finished Bro knocked on the door and waited. A few seconds later John appeared looking a bit surprised that Bro was there.

"Hey, I heard ya playin and singin in there," Bro stated with a smirk. He saw John's eyes widen and pink creep up on his cheeks.

"I- I'm sorry," he stuttered, "Did I disturb you?"

Bro chuckled, "Not at all. I actually kinda liked it. Ya got a nice set of pipes there man."

"Please, I'm really not much of a singer," John said with a laugh and scratching the back of his head.

Bro ruffled John's hair, "Don't sell yourself short kid," he advised, "Anyway, I was thinkin we could have the marathon on Saturday."

John nodded with a smile. Bro smiled back and walked back into his apartment with a wave.

John walked back into his apartment and leaned back against the door. He couldn't shake the smile that was plastered on his face.

**A/N: Oh John, you modest little sweetheart 3 Gah I can just picture a punked out John sitting with a piano singing sweet little songs X3 NEW HEADCANON ACCEPTED AND FILED**

**Also I'm still, and will always be, accepting John questions since I'm going to need quite a few to make the video. The video's might be kinda suckish since I'm doing it alone and I suck at using technology so sorry if it's not a good video w"**


	5. Chapter 5

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Hey guys! Here comes another chapter where John realizes his feelings, Bro gets flustered, and Jake comes back and ruins things on the marathon day! Self-harm trigger warning too!**

**Chapter 5**

He liked Bro. That had occurred to him after the music incident. How he couldn't stop smiling when Bro complimented him. How he hadn't stopped thinking about him since then. But he figured Bro didn't like him like that or he was already in a relationship.

John stood in front of the register as these thoughts ran through his mind. He looked at the clock. Only one more hour and his shift would be over and he would be able to go home.

A man walked into the store who drew John's attention. He was tall and wore a white t-shirt with a green skull on it along with a green flannel over it, tan pants, and nice shoes. John wasn't on to judge, but this guy did not fit in this store.

The man browsed the band merch and some of the anime related clothes and accessories.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you find today sir?" John asked with a smile as he approached the tall man.

The guy looked down at him with piercing green eyes. His gaze raked over John, looking him up and down. It was making John uncomfortable, but he waited for an answer. Besides, people, men and women; checked him out all the time so he just learned to ignore it.

He smiled, "You can tell me your name, sweetness," he said, his voice heavy with a British accent.

John blushed slightly at the nickname, "I'm John," he stated, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Hmm. My name is Jake. I haven't seen you working here before," Jake pointed out as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I just recently moved here and only started work a few days ago," he replied.

"Ahh I see. Well, I'm not really looking for anything in particular, just thought I would browse and come back once I make a decision," Jake chimed, looking at his watch, "Damn, I gotta run. It was nice meeting you, sweetness."

Jake made his way out of the store, leaving a slightly confused John in his wake.

John turned and saw Jade hiding behind one of the shelves. She motioned him over and so he walked over.

"John! That guy was flirting with you!" She exclaimed, shaking John by his shoulders.

"He was?" John asked. He was so oblivious when people were flirting with him.

"Yeah! Did you see the way he was looking at you while you talked to him and how he called you 'sweetness'? That was him flirting with you, you idiot!" She whacked him upside the head.

"How would you know?" He inquired, rubbing the spot where she hit.

"Because he flirts with ALL the male workers here," she stated matter-of-fact-ly.

"Well I hope he could tell I wasn't really interested. He isn't really my type," John pointed out.

Jane rolled her eyes and laughed, telling him to get back to work. He took up his position behind the register and looked at the clock.

Only 30 more minutes.

Bro walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a large cooler full of drinks and the last bag of snacks. He went back into the living room, setting the cooler on his side of the table and the bag of snacks on the table. He looked over his set up and smiled. This was going to be one hell of a marathon.

There was a knock at the door. Bro flash-stepped over to the door and opened it.

John stood there in a green and black striped sweater with overly long sleeves that covered most of his hands and were also tight enough to show how thin his arms were along with a pair of old jeans with rips and tears that covered his feet, but not his toes. He held a box filled with all sorts of anime from his collection.

"Welcome to Casa Del Strider," Bro announced extending his arm, inviting John inside.

John chuckled, "So what are we watching first?"

"I was thinking Madoka Magica if you haven't seen it yet," Bro replied. John nodded his head in agreement and set his box down next to the TV.

"Alright you sit there," Bro said pointing to one side of the couch. He put in the first disk and moved to sit next to John. "What do you want to drink? I've got Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Brisk, Snapple, various flavors of those and PowerAde as well."

"Hmmm I'll have a Pepsi," John replied, catching the can that Bro tossed to him. He opened it up and took a sip before setting it on the TV tray next to him.

Before the anime started, Bro took a minute to point out the snacks on the table and grabbing a bag of Doritos for himself while John grabbed a bag of mini pretzels.

"And let the marathon… BEGIN!" Bro exclaimed as he pressed play.

~All episodes of Madoka Magica later~

"That was one of the best anime I have ever seen," John stated excitedly.

Bro chuckled, "Hell yeah man. This one stormed the world of anime when it first came out."

"I'm not surprised. It's was awesome!" John exclaimed.

"It's your pick now," Bro said, taking a swig of Mountain Dew.

John hopped up and sat down next to his box and Bro's collection, looking over the choices. After a few minutes, he pulled Angel beats out of the box he had brought and exchanged the disks.

"So what did ya pick?" Bro asked looking over at John through pointed shades.

"It's called Angel Beats. It's another short series but it's really good!" he replied with a smile, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs.

Bro gazed at him from the corner of his eye. _He reminds me a bit of L_, he thought, _cute_.

~All episodes of Angel Beats later~

Bro almost shed a tear. That was a pretty sad ending (**A/N: I'm only going off of what my friend told me! She said it was sad so yeah if it isn't I apologize**).

"What did ya think?" John inquired, turning to Bro.

"Pretty cool, dude. Nice choice." He responded.

John smiled and grabbed a handful of goldfish, eating them one at a time. No matter how old you get, goldfish are still the best.

"Alright, my turn!" Bro said getting up and walking over to the choices. It didn't take him long to choose No. 6.

Bro pressed play and the anime began.

~About halfway through or somewhere around the middle~

A kiss scene. A freaking yaoi kiss scene in an anime that seemed as normal as anime went. John could feel the blush on his face as he watched, but he didn't dare to move, or even breathe. It was one of those weird moments where you feel like if you make any sort of gesture, people will think you are weird.

He glanced over at Bro who was watching calmly, taking a drink of his soda like nothing was going on. He looked back at the screen, and let out a quiet sigh as the scene ended.

~The end of the last episode~

_God fucking damn it_, John thought, tapping his tongue piercing against his teeth as he got up, picking a new anime and switching the discs. He had nothing against kissing in anime, but there were little to no yaoi anime so it was a little weird.

Bro heard a light clinking sound and looked over at John. "Is that you?" he asked.

"What?" John inquired back, looking as though he was just snatched away from his thoughts.

"The clinking sounds. Was that you?"

"Oh! Yeah sorry. When I start thinking about stuff I tap my piercing against my teeth," John replied with a laugh, scratching the back of his head.

Bro laughed along with John, followed by an awkward silence.

"Uh hey John?" Bro said/asked.

"Hmm?"

"I was uh… wondering if maybe you'd want to go out sometime?" Bro inquired, not looking at John. Geez you would think asking someone out wouldn't be this hard. _Guess I really like him_, Bro thought.

John didn't answer right away, making Bro nervous, "It's alright if you don't, like I would totally understand if you don't swing that way but-" he was cut off by a laugh from John. He turned his head to see John blushing.

"I would love to," He replied smiling wide.

Bro was surprised to say the least. He thought John would get wierded out and be all 'no homo' and stuff. But he was happy none the less.

"Is it too soon to ask for cuddles?" Bro said sweetly.

John giggled and scooted over, sitting close to Bro, who wrapped an arm around his thin frame and tugged him closer. For one of the first times in his life, John felt truly happy.

They were about halfway through Saiyuki (**A/N: I know I mention this anime a lot but it is so fucking amazing!**) when the door slammed open. John recognized the person as the man from the day before named Jake.

"What the hell is this?" He yelled, "Seriously Dirk?"

Bro stood up and walked over to Jake, "What are you doing here Jake?" he asked calmly.

"Why the hell do you think I'm here Dirk? I saw Roxy when I came in, she told me what you said, and now you're hitting on this guy? How could you! After one little fight you go and cheat on me like that?" Jake ranted, hands balled up into fists.

John's heart dropped. He thought Bro had actually liked him and was single. But it turns out he was dating this British guy. He should have expected this, he had ex's cheat on him before and it hurt, especially now that this Jake guy brought up cheating.

"Um, I- I'll just go," He stuttered, voice wavering as he was on the brink of tears. John rushed out of the apartment, slamming the door to his.

"What the hell Jake! I told you to leave and never come back. I told you we were through! Why did you come back?" Bro asked furiously.

"We always fight like that! I thought we both had gotten past that and yet I find you here cuddling with that kid that works at Hot Topic!" Jake yelled back.

"That's because I asked him out you dolt! I like him more than I ever liked you so go get your shit from Roxy and get the hell out of my sight," Bro spat.

Jake glared at Bro, throwing his key at him and then storming out, slamming the door behind him.

Bro dropped onto the couch and placed his head in his hands. This was all so fucking fantastic. He never wanted to see Jake again, and now that bastard had messed things up between him and John. He remembered the look on John's face when he left.

He was heartbroken.

John cried. He cried until all that was left were puffy eyes, tear stains, and an aching heart. He knew how to make the ache go away, but he was really trying to get away from that.

Guess he wasn't trying hard enough.

With a sniffle, he opened the mini wardrobe in the bathroom and reached behind the towels, pulling out the box of razors. He ran his hand over the box and opened it, pulling out one of the razors.

John pulled his sweater off, not wanting it to get stained, and sat next on the edge of the tub. He let out a shaky breath. He had been doing this long enough to know where and where not to cut, but he felt like that didn't matter. None the less he placed the razor on the middle part of his left forearm.

And he cut.

Seven. Seven cuts until he couldn't feel his heart aching over the pain in his arm. He dropped his arm to the side, letting the red liquid drip into the tub.

After the pain subsided, he sat up and washed the blood off in the sink and wrapping his arm in bandages. He walked back to his room and pulled a plain t-shirt out and threw it on. He never wore long sleeves right after he cut for some reason.

He still liked Bro immensely, and he knew he would probably never get over him.

John lay down on his bed, wrapping himself up in his blanket and breathing shaky breaths until he fell asleep.

**A/N: I hope I didn't hurt all of your guys' feels too bad here. And I am not in any way condoning or making fun of self-harm in this chapter so before you berate me with messages or reviews, know that I have dealt with self-harm and it is not a funny issue, it's a serious condition. No I have not cut, but I helped pull a friend away from doing it so I understand, and although I have thought of self-harm, the consequences and thought of pain held me back.**

**Other than the serious aspect of this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it otherwise and I hope you will keep on reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Alright all you wonderful people, here is chapter six of NNNC. Lots of stuff is gonna go down in this chapter so be prepared!**

**Chapter 6**

It had been three days since the incident with Jake and Bro hadn't seen John since then. He hadn't even heard him leave his apartment! His mind swirled with thoughts.

What if John never wanted to see him again? What if John never trusted him again? What if John moved away? What it, what if, what if?

Bro gripped his hair, hanging his head. He had to find a way to fix this.

John trudged into the kitchen and opened the fridge, raking tired eyes over the shelves. With a sigh he shut the fridge and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket so he pulled it out. Looking at the caller ID, he saw that Jade was calling. He pressed the pickup button and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked; his voice hoarse from lack of water and talking.

"John! You sound awful, is everything ok?" Jade replied, sounding worried, "John?"

John could feel tears prickling his eyes, sniffling, "I'm fine, everything is going swell," he answered, very obviously lying.

Jade was silent for a long time. "Jade?" he asked shakily, "please… don't leave me alone."

~ On the other end of the phone ~

Jade felt a pang in her chest as she heard those words. She could just hear the hurt and desperation in his voice.

"John, don't go anywhere," she said, and hung up the phone.

~ Back to John ~

John held the phone in a shaky hand, watching as small droplets dripped onto the screen. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face into his hands, gritting his teeth.

He felt abandoned and distrust towards the one person he really liked.

John walked into the bathroom, pulling out the box and sitting on the edge of the tub again.

This time it was his right arm.

He had just finished wrapping his arm when a knock came at the door, making him jump. He pulled his shirt over his head. It was long sleeved so whoever it was wouldn't see.

John opened the door and was instantly pulled into hug. He stood frozen from surprise until he heard Jade speak.

"I would never leave you alone, John. Families don't leave their members behind," she whispered, holding him tight.

John just let it out, crying and burying his face into her shoulder and hugging her tightly. She patted his head and rubbed his back, making 'shh' sounds and telling him it would all be ok.

Bro watched, his heart sinking, as John broke down on the other side of his door. He didn't think the situation was so bad, but it obviously was. He watched as the girl led John back into his apartment and closed the door. Bro banged his head against the door.

_How could I be so stupid and careless?_

Jade had John sit on the couch as she grabbed a blanket from a nearby chair, wrapping around him.

"Alright tell me what happened," she demanded, but in a soft tone.

John drew a shaky breath and began his tale. He left out the part about the cutting. He had started crying again as his story ended and Jade wrapped her arm around his shoulders. He wiped his tears away and leaned into her hold.

Jade stood up and moved into the kitchen. After about 15 minutes, she came back with a bowl of soup, handing it to John. "I can tell you haven't eaten since this whole incident happened. This should help you feel better," she said with a small smile.

John smiled gratefully and took the bowl, eating slowly as Jade sat next to him quietly. He finished the soup and placed the empty bowl on the table. Jade smiled and stood up.

"I have to go know John, will you promise me you'll try and get better? I miss having you at work." She asked with a smile.

John nodded with a weak smile. "Good," she said, "I'll see you later."

Jade walked out of his apartment and took a few steps, knocking on the door. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for Bro to answer the door.

As soon as he did, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to her eye level.

"You have thirty seconds to march your ass over to John's apartment and fix what you fucking did or I will hurt you. You did that to him and now you need to fix it," she whispered menacingly before letting go and walking away.

Bro stood there for a moment in fear. This chick had to be insane. None the less he stepped up to John's door and knocked waiting for an answer.

John sat on the couch, not able to focus. This happened once before, when he first started… you know, because he didn't know what he was doing. He laid his head on the back of the couch, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He almost had a heart attack when another knock sounded from his door.

John stood up, making his way over to the door, a hand on the wall, keeping himself steady. He opened the door a bit to see bro standing there, face downcast as he stood in front of John.

"Can I come in?" he asked quietly. John was a bit hesitant but let him in, leading him to the couch and sitting down, Bro did the same.

It was silent for a really long time, neither of them had the courage to speak up.

"I'm not dating Jake, you know. We broke up days before you moved in," Bro said, seeing John stiffen at the mention of Jake.

"And yet he said you guys were dating. I don't know who to believe," John whispered, a sad smile on his face.

"Well you shouldn't believe him, I can tell you that much. Why would you believe him anyways? You only met briefly at Hot Topic!" bro exclaimed heatedly turning to look at John, who was slumped forward slightly.

"I only met you recently too," John retorted, "I really don't want to deal with this right now," he added standing up and beginning to walk away.

"John!" Bro yelled, standing as well and grabbing hold of John's right forearm tightly. John winced and yelped in pain, trying to wrench his arm out of Bro's iron grip. Bro's eyes widened behind his shades as he let go, watching as John clutched his arm to his chest.

"John, let me see your arms."

"No."

"John, let me see!"

"No!"

Bro pushed him onto the couch, trapping John underneath him as he straddled the smaller man's waist. John flailed his arms trying to get Bro off of him. He actually managed to get him in the face, making his shades fall off.

After minutes of John's flailing, he eventually stopped as he tried to hold back his tears. Bro held John's right arm up and pushed the sleeve passed his elbow, exposing the white bandage wrapped around John's wrist. He swallowed fearfully as he gently unwrapped the bandages, revealing scores of cuts, both old scars and brand new cuts that were just starting to scab over and bruise along the edges. Bro drew in a sharp breath, letting that arm go and lifting the other one, doing the same as well as seeing the same.

_How long has he been doing this?_ Bro wondered, looking down to see John in tears.

"John… Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered as he let go of John's arm.

"This isn't exactly something you can just bring up in a normal conversation. 'Oh yeah just so you know I've been cutting myself since I was fourteen,' no! That isn't how it works. You can't just tell people! They'll think your just out for attention, hurting yourself to gain the pity of others. They don't care! No one care's," John exclaimed covering his face with his hands, "You can't express your feelings when you're in this deep or when you start. Doing that makes everything worse, makes the aching worse, makes you want to cut until you bleed out, until you're no longer suffering in this cruel, god forsaken world."

John's words were full of spite, sadness, pain, and especially loneliness. Bro had a feeling he was the first to see these scars. The way John spoke made it seem like he had put up a wall of fake happiness and joy, while he was hiding inside a ball of all these bad emotions.

Bro pulled John up, placing his hands on either side of his face. "How can you say that when someone who cares about you is sitting right in front of you? Or downstairs? Or at your workplace? We all care, John. Jade, Roxy, and me especially. I care about you more than anything. I don't want to see you do this to yourself John!" he fumed.

John stared at him wide eyed. No one had ever told him that they cared about him, not even his dad, who was partially to blame for why he started cutting in the first place.

Bro pulled him forward into a protective embrace, running a hand over his hair, "You aren't alone anymore," he whispered.

John balled his eyes out, crying onto Bro's shoulder.

They sat there for a long time, John crying and Bro comforting him as best he could until John stopped crying.

Once he stopped, Bro lifted him up and carried him to the bathroom.

"Where are the bandages?" he asked quietly. John pointed to the mirror-cabinet thing above the sink. Bro grabbed them along with disinfectant.

He sat on the ground in front of John and took one of his arms. He rubbed disinfectant on the cuts gently, so as not to hurt John. After the disinfectant dried, he wrapped John's arm in the bandages, and moved to do the same on his other arm.

After he was finished, Bro looked up to see John's tired eyes staring off into space.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping well," he pointed out. John nodded in confirmation.

Bro smiled sadly, picking him up again, this time carrying him to his room and setting him on his bed. He was about to walk away when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned his head and saw John holding onto his shirt with his eyes downcast.

He chuckled lightly, turning around and laying down next to John and pulling him close.

"I won't leave you," Bro whispered, feeling John grip the front of his shirt tightly. John was asleep within a few minutes.

"I will never leave you."

**A/N: I fear for your feels after this chapter. If I cried writing this, I'm sure you guys will too.**

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**I'll leave now…**


	7. Chapter 7

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Hey guys! Just wanted to say a quick thanks for all the follows and reviews you have given to this story. It might be a while until it gets as popular as my other story, but to be honest I enjoy writing this story more than my other one.**

**Chapter 7**

Bro woke up, blinking sleep away from his eyes. He looked down and smiled. He was glad to see that John was getting some sleep, considering how tired he looked before he fell asleep. He rested his head on top of John's, feeling the smaller boy shift closer.

Bro pondered everything that had happened since he walked into this apartment, remembering John's words. _He's been like this for six years, and hasn't told a soul until now_, he thought to himself. He wished he had known John back when he had started. Maybe then he wouldn't have been in so deep.

He slowly detached himself from John, getting up and pulling the covers over him before walking out of the room.

John felt a lack of heat as he slowly woke up. He placed his hand on the indent next to him, opening his eyes. He sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"I see you're finally awake," a voice said. John turned his head and saw Bro leaning against the door frame, a small smile on his face.

John smiled back weakly and yawned.

"I hope you don't mind, but I ordered a pizza," Bro added, walking over to the bed and offering John his hand.

"Pizza sounds good," he replied, taking Bro's hand and getting pulled up gently.

John followed Bro out of his room and into the living room, sitting on the couch in an awkward silence.

They heard a ringing and John pulled his phone out of his pocket, answering the call.

"Hello?"

Bro saw him jump out of the corner of his eye and hold the phone away from his face. He could hear the voice on the other end from where he was sitting and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"John, god damn it, Jade just called me! She told me everything you told her. Why the hell didn't you call me you ass! I know you, John, I know what you do when you get upset John! DAMN IT ANSWER ME!"

John held the phone back up to his ear, "Rose, please don't yell at me, you should know that yelling isn't helping the situation," he replied calmly.

"I know I'm sorry John. I just wish you would have called me. You know I can help with stuff like this! I've been through the same situation in high school when I liked Kanaya, remember?" she asked.

"I remember. That's when you quit too," John replied with a sad smile.

"Exactly! I know you can pull through this John, I've seen you way worse than this," Rose said.

"Yeah and I remember each one of those times every time I look at my arms. Now might not be the worst, but it still got pretty bad."

"Jade said the guy that caused this was there with you. Put him on the phone," she demanded.

"I don't think that's a good idea," John warned.

"Put. Him. On. The. Phone."

John thrust the phone towards Bro, giving him a look that said 'be cautious, she will bite your head off over the phone'.

Bro gulped and took the phone holding it up to his ear, "Hello?"

"Listen here, you hurt John anymore then you have already, and I will personally fly down to Texas and hurt you just as bad as you hurt him," she threatened.

Bro pulled the phone away from him for a second, "John you have such charming friends."

John chuckled and he smiled, holding the phone back up to his ear, "Rose was it? You don't have to worry; I would never do anything like that on purpose."

"Yeah, yeah, just put John back on the phone," she snapped and he handed the phone to John.

John took the phone, "Rose, what did you say?"

"Nothing important. I'll let you relax now, just thought I would give you a friendly call."

"Friendly? You're joking right?" John asked with a laugh.

She laughed, "Bye John."

"Bye Rose," he said, hanging up the phone, dropping it next to him with an exasperated sigh.

Bro chuckled, "She sounds like an interesting person."

"You have NO idea," John said, "She means well though."

There was a knock on the door and Bro jumped up and answered it. He brought the pizza inside. John's mouth watered as he smelled the melted cheese and stood up.

Bro told him to sit and that he would get everything. Since he really did not want to get into any arguments, he sat and waited.

Bro came back a few minutes later with two plates of pizza. He handed one to John and sat down next to him.

John picked up the pizza and took a bite, "This is better than any pizza place in Washington."

"We have some pretty good pizza places here in good ol' Texas," Bro said with a smirk.

This time, Bro's phone buzzed. He groaned, setting his pizza on the table.

"Hello?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Hey Bro. How are things?" It was Dave.

"Things are complicated. How's college?" Bro replied.

"Boring, how's that guy you were talking about? That new neighbor kid you were telling me about the other day." Dave inquired.

"Can't really say for sure at the moment, it's kinda rocky. By the way, did you pick a date for when you're going to come back and visit?"

"Yeah, I was thinking I would come by in a couple of weeks and stay for a few days."

"Alright, sounds good lil man. See ya then," Bro said before hanging up the phone.

He looked over and saw that John had already finished his pizza. "Geez kid, have you not been eating either?" it was meant as a joke, but John nodded, making Bro frown.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked himself, placing an arm across John's shoulders. John leaned into Bro, resting his head on his shoulder.

Bro's eyes widened and he lifted a hand, feeling John's forehead, "Dude you have a fever!"

"Seriously? I didn't even notice," he already sounded like he wasn't focused.

Bro stood up, gently moving John into a lying position before going into the kitchen to get a cold, wet towel. He grabbed one of the towels next to the sink and ran it under the faucet, wringing it out after it soaked up enough water.

He made his way back into the living room, placing the cold towel on John's forehead.

John let out a sigh, "That feels nice," he said quietly.

"Geez, kid, you're goin to give me gray hairs one of these days," Bro said, sitting on the edge of the table.

"Sorry."

Bro looked down at John, whose eyes were closed. He smiled, leaning down and placing a light kiss on his cheeks before pulling a blanket over him.

"Get some rest," he ordered quietly, but John was already asleep.

**A/N: I was debating whether or not to finish this at five am but I figured I should get it out. Besides I like waking up and seeing all the reviews you guys post so it's worth staying up and writing for you all ^w^ **


	8. Chapter 8

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Omeglestuck cosplay is so much fun! I wish I could have met more of you guys though; I only met one person from here and then someone from tumblr. But whatever, maybe next time :3**

**Trigger warning: derogatory terms (Even though a small part of me dies every time I use them), bullying**

**Chapter 8**

_A freshman boy walked through the hallways of a brand new school. He was so excited to finally be starting high school and make lots of cool friends that liked the same stuff he liked. He walked happily through the hallways when he bumped into a tall form and fell backwards._

"_Who the hell is this runt? Damn freshman, maybe we need to teach you your place."_

_The boy scrambled backwards in an attempt to get away, but was grabbed by the collar and hoisted up, getting slammed into the lockers._

"_Look his ears are pierced! Must be some kind of fag!"_ (**A/N: stereotype that pierced ears on guys means they are gay**)

"_All the more reason to beat him up." One said, a malicious grin spreading across his face._

_The person holding him raised a fist, gearing back, getting ready for a punch, and then-_

John sat up quickly, breathing heavily and feeling sweat drip down the side of his face. He sat wide eyed, staring at his hands as they clutched the blanket that was covering him.

A hand settled lightly on his shoulder, making him flinch away and whip around to see who it was.

Bro sat there, hands up in front of him, "John, calm down, it's just me."

John relaxed a little, taking a deep breath before falling back to lay down, one arm resting on his stomach and one hand running once through his hair.

"You ok?" Bro asked, in a gentle voice.

John let out a sigh, "Yeah, it was just a dream."

"Looked more like a nightmare to me," Bro stated.

John rolled over, facing the back of the couch, not saying anything. Bro stared at his back and sighed, getting up and walking to the kitchen. John heard him walk away and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He felt something cold press against the back of his neck and he yelped. Bro chuckled as John sat up, holding a hand at the back of his neck and turning to face him with an angry look on his face.

Bro held one of those single serving ice cream things to John, sitting next to him on the couch with his own. John took it with a smile. He hadn't had ice cream for a really long time. He was about to take a spoonful when his phone rang AGAIN.

John glared at his phone on the table and picked it up. He let out a groan and answered.

"Karkat this better be pretty fucking important, you are denying me my ice cream!"

"Nice to hear from you too, you ass," Karkat retorted, "I was just calling to see how the move went."

"It went without a hitch, surprisingly. I figured I would have one of my precious cosplay boxes missing and then have to throw a fit and sulk in a corner," John said with a laugh.

"Dude that would be painful to even think about!"

"No duh, especially if they were all hand made."

"Argh don't make me think about that! Anyways, just thought I would call to see how everything went, I'll call you later man!" Karkat said before hanging up.

John set his phone back onto the table and went back to eating his ice cream. Before he could take a bite, Bro asked, "So you cosplay?"

"Yeah I do," John replied quickly, taking a spoonful of his ice cream, smiling as it melted in his mouth.

"Can I see?"

John turned to see Bro looking at him hopefully. He sighed, "Alright follow me."

He stood up and stretched, "It feels like I haven't been up in ages!"

"Well you have been asleep for a while," Bro pointed out.

John rolled his eyes and motioned for Bro to follow him. He led him to his room and opened the closet, revealing a ton of different cosplay with the wigs and accessories!

Bro's jaw dropped as he looked at all of them. _He even has a freaking SNK cosplay WITH the 3d maneuver gear_! Bro thought.

"Dude, how long have you been cosplaying?" he asked his voice full of wonder.

John had to think for a moment, "Since seventh grade I think."

"Wow I'm impressed, your parents really let you do all of this?"

"My dad didn't care what I did," he stated flatly, turning to leave out of the room.

Bro looked over at John. He just wanted to hug the kid until he stopped feeling so bad. No matter how many times John had smiled since Bro had found out about him, it just seemed fake, like he was still hiding behind a wall. But Bro was absolutely determined to break through it and see the real John smile and laugh and enjoy life without having to worry about being hurt again.

He followed John out of the room and back to the living room, sitting on the couch again in an awkward silence.

"John?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you start… you know, cutting?"

John was silent for a long time, as if contemplating whether or not he should tell his story. It was a long story, and he was afraid that if he told anyone it would just push them away.

"I might tell you one day," he said, placing a hand on his own wrist.

Bro watched as John placed a hand on his wrist. Now probably wasn't the best time to ask in light of recent events, but it had been bothering him since he had found out.

He placed his hand lightly on to John's and smiled in understanding when John looked at him. John smiled back, only this time it was genuine.

Bro was doing it. He was breaking down the wall, little by little.

**A/N: I CAN'T STOP WATCHING SNK! I NEED HELP DX ALL THESE FUCKING PLOT TWISTS AND CHARACTER DEATHS ARE KILLING ME!**

**Heads up: I won't be writing a chapter this Friday since I have a meet up AND a party to go to so I'll be pretty wiped out by the time I get home. But to make it up to you guys, I'll write TWO chapters for each story on Saturday, so don't be mad at me for not writing on Friday ;A;**


	9. Chapter 9

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Hey guys! Just an FYI, chapter 8 is up so if you haven't read it, you might want to before reading this chapter! Also I will be going on omegle after this chapter is uploaded so if you want to chat, use the tags homestuck and omeglestuck and look for the John with blue exorcist wall scroll in the background!**

**Chapter 9**

John sat in class, listening closely to the lecture his teacher was giving. He looked over at the clock, only a few more minutes until he was able to go home. He turned back and continued to take notes.

After a few minutes, the teacher dismissed the class. John gathered his supplies, shoving them into his back and slinging it over his shoulder before heading out of the class room. He shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way out to his car.

He searched his pockets for his keys, pulling them out and unlocking his car, getting in and starting it up.

_Hmm I kinda feel like tea_, he thought to himself, _I think I'll stop by that café and pick some up_.

John pulled out of the parking lot and drove over to the café a few blocks away. He parked in one of the thirty minute parking spots and headed inside, walking up to the counter.

"Hi! How can I help you today?" the lady at the counter asked.

"Hello, can I get a Jasmine tea to go?" he asked, pulling his wallet out and handing her a debit card.

"Sure!" she replied, taking the card and swiping it before handing it back, "Your order will be ready on a few minutes!"

He stepped aside, and sat at one of the tables, waiting for his tea.

A set of hands covered his eyes. John let out a laugh. "Bro, come on stop covering my eyes all the time."

He heard a chuckle and the hands moved away. John tilted his head back to see Bro standing behind him.

"Yo."

"Hey."

"Are you heading home after this?" Bro asked, taking the seat next to John.

"Yeah, I have to study for a test next week," John replied.

"I'm glad I'm not in school anymore," Bro said with a chuckle.

"Lucky you, I have 3 more years of classes before I get my degree AND I have to find a school that's willing to have a student teacher help out in class," John complained with a sigh.

"If it's so much work, why go for that profession?"

John thought about it for a second, "Music is the one thing I excel at, that and any kind of science course, but science is a little harder to get into and music allows more freedom."

Bro nodded in understanding.

The lady called for John, signaling his tea was ready.

"Well' I'll see you later, Bro," he said, standing up.

"Dirk."

"Beg pardon?"

"Call me Dirk."

John smiled and nodded, heading over and picking up his order before heading out the door.

There was a knock on John's door. He stood up from his desk and walked over, opening the door.

"Oh, hey Miss Roxy, what brings you here?" he asked when he saw his land lady standing in front of him.

"I'm here to invite you to a party! It's next weekend up at my lake cabin, I'm inviting all the tenants so hopefully you'll get to meet a few more of them!" she exclaimed, handing him an invitation.

"I'd love to go! I'll make sure to clear my calendar on that day," he answered with a laugh.

"Fantastic! See ya then, Johnny-boy," she winked and waved before walking back down the hallway.

John smiled and shut his door. He hadn't been to a party since he moved and he was pretty excited! He set the invitation on his desk and went back to studying.

Bro, or Dirk, we should start calling him that now, was sitting on his couch with a soda in his hand. He was watching some weird anime about magic and a demon king or something like that, he wasn't really paying attention.

Dirk looked at the invitation Roxy had just dropped off. He wasn't really planning on going until he heard John say he was going when Roxy went to give him his invitation.

Well what kind of party would it be if I wasn't there? It won't hurt to go, he thought to himself.

But he hesitated. Roxy had a habit of hanging mistletoe up for her parties, even though the majority of them weren't around Christmas time. He had gotten caught underneath it with some girl that moved out while back and it was incredibly awkward between them both after wards.

_Screw it_, he thought, _it's just a party_, _everything will be fine as long as I avoid getting caught under the mistletoe with John._

Oh if only life were that simple.

**A/N: And I am now off to omegle!**


	10. Chapter 10

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: BACK FROM THE UNEXPECTED HIATUS! Sorry guys but school started and it's a pain but I was able to think about what to write for the chapter! So I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 10**

"Do you have everything?" Dirk asked John as he set the last bag in the vat of his pick-up. They had decided to car pool to Roxy's lake house, well it was more like Dirk demanded it. He wanted to keep a close eye on John since he seemed a little weak from not eating during his slum.

"Yeah that should be it," John replied, running the check list through his head one more time, "Yupp, I have everything."

"Alright, then let's get this show on the road!" he exclaimed, flash-stepping to his side of the car and getting in. John hopped into his seat, pulling his seat belt on. Dirk put the key in the ignition and started it up, pulling out of the parking lot.

The two of the made idle chat for most of the trip until John got tired. He always slept on long car rides. He put his head phones in and curled up in his seat, using the overly long sleeves of his sweater is a pillow and was asleep in minutes.

John felt a gentle nudge on his arm. He groaned in displeasure as he was woken up.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, we're here," he heard Dirk say lightly. He felt his cheeks go red from the nick name. He sat up, looking at the large lake house in amazement. It was huge!

They got out of the car and walked up to the door. Dirk knocked and not even ten seconds later, Roxy appeared at the door and threw her arms around the both of them.

"Welcome to the lake house gentlemen! Don't worry about your bags, I'll just have the Rox-bot take care of them," She rattled as she ushered them inside.

Dirk's eyes darted around. _One….Two…. Three, four, five….. Six. Six fucking things of mistletoe_, he thought to himself. John didn't seem to notice, which was probably good.

Another knock came at the door. Roxy looked confused, which was odd. Dirk's face went pale as he realized who it must be.

And low and behold there was Jake walking in with a delighted Roxy by his side.

"Hello Dirk," He said smugly. Dirk just nodded. He could see out of the corner of his eye that John looked uncomfortable. He grabbed John's hand and dragged him into the living room.

John followed without protest and just stood there looking down once Dirk let go of his hand.

"Well that was a surprise," Dirk announced, running a hand through his hair.

John bit his inner lip and nodded, trying to push the bad memories out of his head. He started scratching his forearms. Dirk recognized it as one of the signs that said he wanted to cut.

He sighed, and took John's hands in his own. "Promise me something," he whispered so only John could hear.

"It depends on what I have to promise," John answered.

"Promise me you will try not to cut while we're here."

John was quiet as he pondered the thought. Yes he understood that Dirk was worried about him but they weren't dating so there was no reason for Dirk to be in his business.

He sighed, "I'll try."

Dirk smiled and let go, "Well it is pretty late," he said looking at the clock that read 11 pm, "We should probably get to sleep."

John nodded, following Dirk as he showed him to his room. He walked inside to find his bags were already there. He closed the door and walked over to his bags, pulling out his PJ's. He stripped off his hoodie and jeans and slipping on his fleece PJ pants and tank.

_I should change these bandages, too_, he thought. He had cut probably two more times since Dirk found out his secret. The creepy thing was that Dirk seemed to be able to tell whenever he cut and would stay with him as he got over each reason for cutting.

John pulled out fresh bandages and changed them in the bathroom, throwing the used ones in the trashcan. He walked back into his room and saw a note on the floor. He picked it up and read what was written on it.

_Meet me at 11:30 by the fire place._

_Don't be late,_

_~Dirk_

That was odd. Dirk's room was right next door. If he wanted to talk he could have just walked the four feet from his door to John's. He shrugged and looked at the clock, it read 11: 25.

Dirk stood by the fire place and read the note again.

Meet me at 11:25 by the fire place.

Don't be late,

~John

Why would John want to meet him by the fire place when he was right next door? He looked up and his throat went dry. There was mistletoe hanging above the fire place. _Guess he noticed it after all_, Dirk though, a smile crossing his face.

"You know Dirk; I would have expected you to go for guys a bit closer to your age."

Dirk spun around to see Jake standing in the door way, arms crossed and a sly look on his face.

"He isn't that much younger than me," Dirk retorted.

Jake laughed, "Please, you usually go for those the same age or older, not some kid that just got out of high school!"

"So what if he recently got out of high school? I like him and that's all that matters," Dirk said staring Jake down, who had gotten closer.

11:28

"Really now? That's not what you told me a while back."

"Well, as you can see people change, but I see you're still trying to be a manipulative little ass."

11:29

Jake was right in his face now and at that moment he remembered the mistletoe.

_Shit._

Jake smirked, noticing how Dirk seemed to tense up, "You know how Roxy gets upset when people don't kiss under the mistletoe."

11:30

Dirk sighed, "Fine." He leaned forward and kissed Jak. He saw John on the stairs after he pulled away from Jake, staring at the two of them. He slowly turned around and headed back upstairs.

"John wait!" Dirk yelled pushing past Jake and running up the stairs. John's door was closed. He tried opening it but it was locked. He began to panic, backing away from the door and ramming into it over and over again until it finally gave way and busted open.

John was sitting in the bathroom, three cuts already on his arm and he moved to make another.

"Stop!" Dirk ran over, grabbing the razor from John's hands and tossing it out of reach before pulling John into a tight hug.

Jake, Roxy, and a few other people had gathered in John's room, standing there speechless at the scene they had just witnessed.

Dirk was sitting on the floor with John in his lap when he heard the smaller boy say something.

"I'm sorry I broke our promise," he whispered before passing out.

Dirk panicked. John had never passed out like this before.

"Someone call an ambulance!"

**A/N: God damn it English, look what you did now! (I actually really like Jake but in this he's an ass hole)**

**Hope you liked it! I left it on a cliff hanger bwahahahahahahahahahahaha! Y'all have to wait until the next chapter is out to find out what happens :3**


	11. Chapter 11

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: I really don't feel like doing my homework right now and I've been thinking about this chapter all day and I really wanted to write it so here!**

**Chapter 11**

John blinked, waking up in an unfamiliar white room. The last thing he remembered was feeling betrayed, cutting, and then passing out. He brought a hand up, rubbing his eyes and moving to sit up. He felt something holding his hand tightly. He craned his head and saw Dirk, head face down on the mattress with his hand around his.

"Dirk?" he said, his voice hoarse from lack of water. Dirk's head shot up. He wasn't wearing his shades and John could see so many emotions flash through his eyes, sadness, worry, anger. But among all the bad emotions, there were some good ones, relief, happiness, love. Above everything else, he just looked tired.

John let out a laugh, "You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Well yeah, you've been out for a few days," he stated, "I was worried." Dirk raised a hand, placing it lightly on John's cheek. John placed his hand over Dirk's, intertwining their fingers together.

"Just don't be like me; not sleeping because of every single little thing that worries me crosses my mind," he chimed, clearing his throat, "Can I have some water?"

Dirk smiled and nodded, standing up and walking over to a table where a pitcher of water sat next to a couple of cups. He poured some into a glass, walking back over and handing it to John.

John thanked him, quickly gulping down the water and letting out a contented sigh, setting the class on his bed side table.

"So where are we?" he asked.

"Were in a hospital. After you passed out, Roxy called an ambulance. Turns out you've developed a sort of temporary anemia. Doc said you'll probably feel weak for a while, so take it easy," Dirk said, taking John's hand again.

"I've got it again, huh?" John mumbled to himself, "Did he say when we get to go home?"

"She said that you get to go home as soon as you wake up," a lady said from the door way, "Hope you had a nice rest, Mr. Egbert. I'm Doctor Dolorosa Maryam. Your condition is a lot better than it was when you were first brought in. I guess sleep helped with the recovery process. As long as you're able to stand, you can go."

"Wait, Maryam? Like Kanaya Maryam?" John inquired.

"Yes that is my youngest daughter, why do you ask?" the doctor replied.

"My best friend, Rose, is dating her," he answered with a smile.

"Ah you're THAT John!" she exclaimed, "I thought your name sounded familiar. My daughter has told me a great deal about you."

John laughed, "Yeah she is a very sweet girl. You must be proud."

Doctor Maryam nodded with a wide smile, "Well, let's get your things together, shall we?"

John nodded, moving to get out of the hospital bed when Dirk stopped him. "Rest a little longer, I'll help the Doc get everything," he said.

"Can I at least get up and stretch? I've been lying here for ages!" he exaggerated.

Dirk chuckled, "Alright, alright, just don't strain yourself."

John nodded, setting his feet on the floor and pushing himself off the bed slowly. It felt great to stand, even if the blood rushing to his head made him a little dizzy. As he stretched, his stomach growled loudly and he froze. He heard the other two laugh; causing him to flush from embarrassment.

"Looks like we'll have to get something for you to eat on the way home," Dirk said. He turned to the doctor, "Any limitations on what he's allowed to eat?"

The doctor shook her head, "He can eat whatever he wants, just not too much. Eating a lot of food after going days without it can make you very sick."

The boys nodded. Dirk went back to gathering John's things and John sat back down on the bed. It was only a few more minutes until everything was together and the two were on their way.

John held Dirk's arm for support as they walked out of the hospital and over to his truck. He placed John's bag in the back of his truck and opened John's door, seeing as he was having some trouble.

John said a quick thank you and hopped into the car. He pulled his seat belt over his shoulder as Dirk got into the car.

"So what'cha hungry for?" he asked as he started his car.

John thought for a second, "Wendy's!"

Dirk laughed, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road on the search for a Wendy's at ten o'clock at night.

**A/N: Yay! John's ok! Well sort of… Where are they in their relationship? Even I don't know but I will announce it soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: I LITERALLY GOT HALF WAY THROUGH WRITING THIS AND MY LAPTOP FREAKED AND THE TEXT GOT ALL MESSED UP AND I COULN'T FIX IT so we're gonna try this again and hopefully it won't flip out.**

**Chapter 12**

It was late, close to midnight when John and Dirk finally made it back to the apartment complex. John was curled up in his seat, asleep and wearing Dirk's jacket. He looked rather adorable; the way the collar covered most of his face and the way he held his arms close to his chest. The baggy sleeves made it even cuter.

Dirk hopped out and walked over to John's side of the car, tapping the window lightly and waking John up. He yawned and fiddled with the door handle in an attempt to open the door. He was still weak from the anemia and from just waking up so he was having some trouble. He furrowed his eyebrows and gave up, turning away from the door and curling up again.

Dirk looked at the helpless boy sitting in the car and sighed. He opened the door, startling John a bit and offering his hand, which the smaller gladly took.

John stumbled a bit, falling into Dirk's arm. The blonde chuckled; he could feel the vibrations as Dirk held him tightly to his chest.

He closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart. A hand gently lifted his face and he looked up, gazing at Dirk's smiling face.

Dirk leaned forward, pressing his lips lightly on to John's. When he didn't feel him kiss back, he began to pull away. Two hands were placed on the sides of his face as he was pulled back into another kiss. His eyes widened in surprise.

Dirk smiled into the kiss and placed his hands on John's hips, pulling him closer. He ran his tongue across John's bottom lip and over his piercings before biting gently, causing John to gasp. He slid his tongue into his mouth, tasting and exploring every inch.

John couldn't think straight. He was enraptured in the kiss, and it was perfectly obvious who the uke was and who the seme was.

They broke the kiss at the same time for air, breathing heavily, placing their foreheads together. Dirk recovered quickly, but John was still breathless, only it wasn't because of the kiss… Well it partially was. The lack of air had triggered one of his anemia symptoms.

Dirk turned his back to John and knelt down slightly, "Come on, let's get you upstairs."

John smiled and climbed onto his back, wrapping his arms around his neck loosely while Dirk hooked his arms under his legs to hold him up.

They headed inside and up the stairs. Dirk unlocked the door to his apartment, carrying John inside. He made his way into his room and let John down on the bed. The dark haired boy yawned, laying down and resting his head on one of the pillows.

Dirk lay down next to him, slinking an arm around his thin waist and pulling him close. He saw John smile slightly as he snuggled closer.

"Am I ever going to get my jacket back?" he asked quietly.

"Mmmm I dunno, maybe someday," he replied.

Dirk chuckled, "So what are we now?"

John was quiet for a minute, thinking. He stretched up, kissing him deeply, "Does that answer your question?"

Dirk smiled and nodded, closing his eyes and falling asleep next to John.

Dirk woke up to find the small, dark haired boy missing. He looked around the room before getting up and walking out into the living room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw John in the kitchen, setting a pan in the oven.

A smirk grew on Dirks face as he snuck forward. John turned around and jumped, holding a hand to his chest.

"Damn it, don't sneak up on my like that!" he exclaimed, looking upset.

"Sorry," Dirk said, walking up and catching him in a hug, "Oh by the way, we have to go to a doctor and get some kind of red blood cell count thing or whatever it's called to make sure this anemia thing isn't permanent."

John groaned. "Do I have to?" he whined.

Dirk pinched his cheek, "Yes, you do."

John sighed, "Fine."

The timer on the oven sounded and John hopped up, grabbing an oven mit and pulling out a pan of muffins. The smell of chocolate wafted through the apartment, making Dirk's mouth water.

"Ok, here's the plan," Dirk stated, "First we chow down on these muffins. Then we go to the doctor!"

**A/N: This literally took me six hours to write DX Mainly because of tumblr (Again) and anime haha. I finally reached 80 followers on tumblr though and I was so excited! My next milestone is 100, but if it's taken four months to get 80 followers it may take a while. Other than that, I hope you liked the chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: You know I recently realized how much I relate to this story, and that's probably going to help me out in the long run in writing future chapters! I'm really excited, although I'm not quite sure how exactly I'm going to continue haha.**

**Chapter 13**

John sat on the paper-covered check-up bed thing in the doctor's office while Dirk sat across from him. He fidgeted, causing the paper to wrinkle. He never was comfortable in doctor's offices; they made him nervous and panicky.

A light knock came from the door and the doctor walked in. He carried a clipboard, which he was still reading over it as he moved in front of John.

John swallowed the lump in his throat as the doctor looked at him.

"Mr. John Egbert?" John nodded in response, "Hmm, yes it appears you were struck with a sudden case of anemia when you were staying at a friend's lake house, correct?" John nodded again and the doctor continued, "I see. Please, if you would wait here, I'll send in the nurse in to take some tests."

He walked out, leaving the two alone in silence. Dirk stood up, striding forward and leaning on the edge of the bed next to John.

"I can tell the doctor was making you a little nervous," he stated.

"It's not just the doctor, it's any kind of doctor's, psychiatrists, or therapist's offices that make me nervous," John replied, fidgeting again.

"Why is that?" Dirk asked. He was curious as to why _his_ John would be nervous.

John didn't answer right away, like he was thinking of an answer. Before he could speak, the nurse walked in.

She asked Dirk to go sit down, which he did reluctantly. The nurse began asking John some questions, simple things like if he had any major allergies and details about the situation.

After the questions, she had to draw some blood. He was NOT ok with needles. Yeah he had gotten fifteen piercings, but those were different. They didn't draw enough blood to make you woozy.

John held his arm out, looking away, counting silently to himself, mouthing the numbers to distract him. He felt the needle enter his arm and he let out a short squeak of pain, shutting his eyes tightly. After the nurse drew the amount needed, she pulled the needle out and told John to hold a cotton ball to the shot.

She left the two alone again and Dirk stood up and sat next to John again. "So you were saying? You know before she interrupted?" he inquired, tilting his head a bit to look at John's face.

"Just… I've had bad experiences with them," John stated. He could feel Dirk's eyes studying him. But he couldn't look into those shaded eyes, not without giving everything away.

The doctor came back in, "Well I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that the anemia is temporary, bad news is that it's going to take a while for your RBC count to get back up into the safe range."

"Is there any medication I'm going to have to take?" John asked; his voice a little shaky.

"There is not, but you aren't allowed to have any pain killers. They thin out the blood and that can be dangerous in you state," He answered.

Dirk spoke up, after listening to them talk, "How long are we talking until this thing is resolved?"

The doctor looked at his clip board, "It will be about six weeks before he starts to feel normal again, but will take a total of eight weeks until the symptoms disappear," he said, tucking the clip board under his arm, "That's all there is, boys. You may leave when you are ready."

He walked out and John hopped off the bed, ready to get out of there. Dirk suppressed a chuckle, he was cute when he was nervous and he got all flustered.

Dirk had never seen John move so fast. He usually just took his time, but he was very obviously uncomfortable in this environment.

"Geez, John, slow your roll! The car's not going anywhere, no need to rush," He chimed.

John let out a puff of air, slowing down a bit but still moving quickly. He let Dirk slink an arm around his waist and pull him close. The closeness calmed him down a bit and they made their way out of the doctor's office.

"Now let's go get some lunch, I'm starved!"

**A/N: Blahhh DOCTOR'S, THERAPIST'S, PHYCHIATRISTS, OH MY! They are absolutely no fun, unless it's a group of people with similar problems, then you don't feel so alone.**

**And to make things easier, I'll probably update on weekends so I can focus on school during the week. I may occasionally update during the week, depending on how I feel :T**


	14. Chapter 14

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: AHHH I'M SO EXCITED GSA IS STARTING TUESDAY! Also, in light of suicide prevention week I'm going back to writing one chapter a day (only for this story) This week is a big deal for me and I want to share something with you guys and that's why I'm writing a chapter a day!**

**Chapter 14**

Dirk searched the bathroom again, finding one last box of razors on the bottom shelf behind some hair care products. He tossed it into a bag and walked into the living room where John sat, his head on his knees.

"Well, you're definitely not lacking in supplies," Dirk sighed, sitting next to john on the couch, placing the bag on the table. He saw John stiffen out of the corner of his eye and chuckled, "I'm not going to yell at you, if that's what you're thinking."

"I don't understand why you aren't," he heard John whisper.

"Like you said, yelling doesn't help the situation," he replied with a small smile, "Plus I don't see how that's going to get us anywhere."

John sat back, looking at the bag on the table. He didn't want to give up his razors, but he knew he had to if he wanted to recover. If he cut while he was recovering it could make the condition worse.

"I know it's probably going to be hard to kick the habit but I'll help ya along the way," Dirk said, wrapping an arm around John's shoulders, "Now come on, My little brother's coming tomorrow and we got some cleaning up to do!"

BUZZ… BUZZZZZZZZZ… BUZZZBUZZZBUZZZ

Dirk pressed to inter com button, "Who in god's name is ringing my buzzer at 7 in the morning?"

"Open the door bro," a voice replied with a laugh.

"Damn it Dave, you should have told me you were coming over! You scared John half to death with the inter com buzzer," Dirk chided.

"Whatever, I'll apologize when I get up there, now open the fucking door."

Dirk sighed and opened the door for his brother. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Well John, ready to meet Dave?" John nodded shyly and Dirk opened the door.

Standing there was a boy, a shade taller than John, with short blonde hair and black aviators covering his eyes. He wore dark skinny jeans with a chain and a dark red V-neck shirt along with some leather bracelets and Osiris'. He had a bag slung over his shoulder and his hands in his pockets.

John, Dave. Dave, John," Dirk introduced the two.

"H-hello," John said shyly. He fingered the hems of his sleeves nervously, waiting for Dave to answer.

"Bro… Why do you get all the cute ones?" Dave whined.

"Guess I'm just lucky." Dirk shrugged, hugging John from behind.

John got flustered and covered his face with his hands, causing the Striders to laugh.

"Well, I'm going to throw my stuff in my old room," Dave said walking past Dirk and John.

Dirk laughed, "I think you made a good first impression."

John Tilted his head back, looking up at Dirk with a small smile, "I hope so, it would be awkward if I didn't."

Dirk smiled, leaning down and kissed John on the lips. John blushed, kissing him back.

"Hey, don't you have work soon?" Dirk asked.

John laughed, "You totally just ruined the moment. I'll go get ready."

Dirk watched as John went back to his apartment. He came out a few minutes later wearing a dark grey long sleeved shirt that looked tight, even on his slender frame. A silver necklace hung from his neck with a small locket. He had on a beanie and carried a hoodie with him as he leaned into the Strider apartment.

"I'm leaving for work! I'll see you guys later," He yelled before making his way down the stairs.

"So what's his story?" Dave asked Dirk as they sat at the kitchen table.

Dirk took a sip from his apple juice, "I'm not really sure. He hasn't told me anything about his past."

"Hmm that's odd. How do you know he isn't faking?"

Dirk slammed his glass on the table, "You think that poor kid is faking? Six years. Six fucking years that kid sat and wallowed in loneliness and hatred and now you have the guts to call him fake? He is the most real and truthful person I've met and believe me I've seen a lot of people in my day."

Dave held his hands up in surrender, "Chill, Bro, I could tell just by looking at him that he's been through hell and back over and over."

"I hate you sometimes you know?" Dirk stated.

"Love you, too, Bro," Dave laughed.

Dirk looked at the clock, "Looks like John will be back soon. How about we all go out for dinner?"

"Sounds good! I'm starved," Dave exaggerated, clutching his stomach and pretending to faint.

Dirk rolled his eyes and continued to drink his apple juice.

**A/N: GUYS I CAME UP WITH ANOTHER STORY! I'm thinking demonstuck JakeDirk…. Hmmm yess…. sounds dark and sexy XD Haha just kidding….. Maybe.**

**Anyways I'm gonna write that one right after this one. Yeah I know I've already got three stories going right now but I like having a lot on my plate for some reason. Probably so I have something to do with my life.**


	15. Chapter 15

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: YOU GUYS IM SO HAPPY! I FINALLY ORDERED A CHEST BINDER FOR COSPLAY! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I CANT WAIT FOR IT TO GET HERE!**

**Chapter 15**

John paced in front of the TV, glancing down at his phone as he crossed his arms and continued pacing.

_Shit_, he gripped his hair and sat in the farthest seat from his phone. He jumped when a knock on the door came and he hopped up to answer it.

"You know, you're being rather loud over here," Dirk said with a smirk as John opened the door.

John moved back to pacing, scratching his forearms as Dirk entered the apartment.

"What's wrong?" He asked trying to stop John from pacing by placing his hands on his shoulders.

John pointed over to his phone, which still had a text message open.

It was from his dad. It said that he was going to visit for a few days and would come in a few days.

"Ok? What's the big deal with him coming to visit?" Dirk asked, not really understanding the situation.

John pulled up his sleeve, shoving his arm (scars facing Dirk) in Dirk's face.

Dirk eyed the scars that ran up his arm in silence. He took John's hand and pulled his sleeve back down, hiding the collection of cuts. He pulled him into a tight hug, "Why would your dad cause this?"

"Because he didn't care," John replied, burying his face into Dirk's chest.

They stood in silence, hugging. "Well I'll be here with you when he comes," Dirk said with a reassuring squeeze.

John squeezed back, a small smile on his face.

BUZBUZBUZ

John froze when he heard the buzzer on his intercom. _He's here already?_

He stumbled quickly over and pressed the button, "Hello?"

"Hello son," a husky voice replied.

"Hey dad! Hold on one sec, I'll come meet you at the door," John said quickly.

John opened the door and stepped across the hall, knocking on Dirk's door until he answered.

"He's here!" he exclaimed.

Dirk chuckled, "Alright, calm down, I'll head over now."

John smiled nervously before making his way down stairs. He saw his dad wearing his usual white hat and shirt with a pipe hanging from his mouth standing at the door.

John opened the door, letting his dad into the apartment complex and leading him upstairs to his apartment.

His dad asked a lot of questions like how school was going and how his job was, how he was getting along with his neighbors, things like that.

When they got to the apartment, John unlocked the door and led his dad inside. Bro was setting things up in the living room when they arrived. There was a tea kettle, cups already filled with tea, and cream and sugar in the center of the table next to the kettle.

"And who might this be?" John's dad asked, handing his coat to John, who hung it up in the closet.

"This is Dirk, he's my neighbor from across the hall," John replied, moving to stand next to Dirk.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Egbert," Dirk said, extending a hand.

"Hmm, charmed, I'm sure," John's dad stated, walking past without shaking Dirk's hand and moving to explore the apartment, "Hmm a decent apartment. Rather big though isn't it?"

"It was the best I could get in my price range," John pointed out, earning a 'Hmph' from his dad. John grew quiet again, scratching at his forearms lightly.

His dad explored the rest of the apartment without saying a word, returning to the living room and sitting in the chair across from John and Dirk, who were sitting on the couch.

"I'll be right back, I need to get something from my apartment," Dirk announced, standing up. John nodded and John's dad just kind of ignored the comment and sipped his tea. The door closed with a quiet click, leaving John and his dad in an awkward silence.

They sat like that until John's dad spoke up, "Tell me… What is your relationship with that Dirk boy?"

John froze, not knowing how to respond. He could feel his dad's cold eyes boring into him as he drew a shaky breath. He mumbled something incoherent.

"Speak up, son," his dad demanded loudly, making John flinch slightly.

"He's my boyfriend," he stated looking up and meeting his dad's eyes.

A hand connected hard with his cheek; hard enough to make him almost fall off the couch.

"I'll not have my son saying such sinful lies in my presence," he hissed.

John's face was downcast, looking at the floor with a hand on his reddening cheek.

Dirk walked in, seeing John's dad standing over him and John holding his cheek. He saw a small tear run down his cheek and he snapped.

He flash-stepped in between John and his dad, pushing his dad away with a harsh shove.

"Don't EVER lay a hand on him," Dirk warned, standing tall, almost in a challenging way.

John's dad walked over to the closet grabbing his jacket and making over to the door, "Feel grateful that your grandmother left the money to pay for your tuition." He closed the door with a slam, leaving John and Dirk alone.

As soon as John's dad left, Dirk grabbed John's face gentle, turning him to face him.

"Well, you might get a bruise from that little encounter," Dirk said calmly.

"It definitely went better than I expected," John pointed out.

"What did you even say to make him hurt you?" Dirk asked, going to grab some ice from the kitchen.

John let out a sigh, "Well my dad is like this hard core, by-the-book catholic so he doesn't take to kindly to homosexuals."

Dirk pressed the ice to John's cheek. He flinched a bit from the sudden cold, but relaxed a bit, taking the ice and holding it to his cheek.

"I kinda got that vibe from him," Dirk stated, sitting next to John on the couch.

"Yeah, it kinda made bringing home boyfriends a little difficult," John chimed.

"Well you don't have to worry about that now," Dirk kissed his temple, "Just forget about all that."

John chuckled, "That might take a while."

Dirk shrugged and smiled, "I got time."

They smiled at each other and laughed. It sure was nice to have someone who cared.

**A/N: Meep, well I found out that it's not suicide prevention week… its suicide prevention **_**month**_**. But for the sake of my sanity I'll change it to a chapter every other day until September ends (HA I made a reference XD)**


	16. Chapter 16

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: I'm thinking of finishing this up soon. I'm running out of ideas DX I'll try to keep it going as long as I can but I just can't think of what else to write.**

**Chapter 16**

"Jane, you really don't have to, I'm not planning anything anyways!" John said over the phone.

"Nonsense! Your 21st birthday is like the best one ever!" Jane exclaimed.

Let's back up a little bit. Jane had called John saying that she was coming, along with Rose, Kanaya and Karkat, to celebrate John's 21st birthday that was in two weeks.

"Jane it's just a birthday," John groaned. He really didn't want to have a party, they were tedious and exhausting.

"Too late, Johnny boy! We've already got the tickets and are packing," Jane snickered. There was no way she was letting John go another year without her to help celebrate.

John sighed, finally giving in to Jane's demands. He hung up after saying good bye and moved over to his calendar, marking the day they would arrive which was four days away.

There was a knock on his door, "It's open!" he yelled, turning back to write in a few more dates on his calendar.

"JOHNNY!" A voice exclaimed. He turned around to see Roxy stumble inside carrying a martini glass.

_Not again_, he thought, "Hello Miss Roxy! What brings you here?"

"A little birdy told me," she slurred, "That your 21st b-day is not-this-but-next-Friday!"

He chuckled, "Guess that little bird doesn't know how to keep quiet."

Roxy laughed and hiccupped, "Well were gonna throw you the awesomest b-day party WITH ALCOHOL!" She chugged the rest of her martini and wrapped her arm across his shoulders to keep her balance.

"What's with all the ruckus?" a tired voice mumbled from the door.

"Dirk baby! You're just in time! Little Johnny is becoming a man!"

"Elaborate, please," he stated, stifling a yawn.

"He's turnin' 21!"

"Aw does that mean a drinking party?" Dirk asked excitedly, seeming to have woken up entirely.

"Hell yeah!"

John placed a hand on his forehead and walked down the hall to his room. He flopped face down onto the bed and just laid there.

"John?"

John turned over onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, looking over to see Dirk standing next to the bed.

He sat down next to him, "You don't seem too excited."

"It's not that," he sighed, "I'm just not having the best of days. It's like I'm going through withdrawal or whatever it's called," he pressed his palms to his eyes.

"Well then let's go out to get your mind off of it," Dirk suggested.

John laughed, "Sure, why not?"

Dirk grabbed his hands and pulled him up, "Alright let's go!"

"Dirk, I'm not sure this is a good idea," John said, looking down at the ice in front of him.

"Come on, it's just ice! It's almost exactly like roller blading," Dirk chimed as he stood on the ice, trying to coax John to enter the rink.

John, set a foot on the ice, keeping his hands on the wall and using it to pull himself up. Dirk chuckled at his cautiousness, earning a slight glare.

Dirk grabbed his hands and pulled him away from the wall, "You won't learn if you cling to the wall like that."

"Hey, man, the wall is like training wheels for ice skating," John mumbled, clinging to Dirk as he was pulled away from the wall. Dirk held John out at arm's length and skated backwards, tugging John along.

"See, you're not half bad!" Dirk let go, letting John skate on his own.

John held his arms out for balance as he slowly lifted a foot and skated forward. He laughed. "This is actually kinda fun!" He started to skate as little faster, his confidence growing.

Although… He didn't see the chip in the ice. The tip of his skate caught and he stumbled, unable to keep his footing. He fell forward onto his stomach and sliding a bit before coming to a stop. He blinked in confusion.

"John, are you ok?" Dirk asked as he skated around John.

"This is why I wanted to stay by the wall," John whined, trying to stand up but failing and slipping again.

Dirk laughed, lowering a hand, "You're so cute when you're helpless."

"Am not," John mumbled as he was pulled up.

"Are so~" Dirk sang, smirking when John blushed slightly, "I think that's enough skating for today. Let's head home."

**A/N: Ehhhh I didn't get a nap today DX I haven't been tired at 10:50 since school ended last June. Sorry for the short chapter, I'm just really tired V.V**


	17. Chapter 17

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: hey guys. Sorry I didn't update yesterday like I said. It was a really busy and I've just been feeling kinda useless.**

**Chapter 17**

"Hey we should sing the song we did for the senior talent show!" Karkat exclaimed over the phone.

"Sure! But don't you remember I broke my guitar," John replied sadly. His guitar had been old and with how much he practiced it, hadn't lasted long after that performance.

"Shit, I forgot. I'll bring mine and you can play it," he suggested.

"Nah, it's better when there are two. I'll go to Off Beat today after work and see if I can get a new one," John chimed before looking over and checking the clock, "I gotta go Karkat, my breaks almost over!"

They said their good bye's and hung up. John made his way out of the break room and ran into Jade.

"Oh! Your breaks over already?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah it is," John said smiling back.

"Great! Do you think you could start training the new employee? My shift is almost over and he starts right before I leave!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled, "Of course I will!"

Jade thanked him before running off to the back to let the newbie in. "John this is Sollux!"

"Hello," John greeted with a cheerful smile. The boy was incredibly tall with blond hair and two different colored eyes. His ears were gauged, only to 00 and were paired with piercings all the way up to cartilage. He also had dimple piercings and bridge piercings.

"Sup," the kid said. He also had a very prominent lisp that didn't sound like it would ever go away.

"Well I'll leave you guys to it!" Jade chimed patting the new kid on the back before walking away.

"I assume Jade already went over the paper work with you?" John asked, looking up to meet Sollux's eyes.

"Yeah, she said I would start with the register and then learn from there," he replied shoving his hands in his pockets.

John nodded and motioned for Sollux to follow him. He walked over to the register and turned to Sollux, "Do you have any previous experience with registers and transactions?"

Sollux nodded, "I worked a grocery store for a while at the registers."

"Awesome, then this won't take long," he said. He began to point out some things on the register and teaching him how to do a transaction and how to register the H1 card.

A customer walked in and John went to greet them, helping them find the things they were looking for.

"Alright Sollux, I'll walk you through a transaction," John said standing next to Sollux who was in front of the register.

Sollux listened as John pointed to buttons on the screen. He noticed how the girl kept looking at John, her eyes sweeping up and down. After he finished and bagged her items, she slipped a note across the counter towards John. She shot him a smile and walked out.

Sollux chuckled, "Looks like you've got an admirer."

"This happened in Wisconsin, too. I might as well just get a t-shirt that says 'I'm Gay' on the front," he replied with a laugh.

"You're gay?" Sollux asked, sounding slightly amazed.

"Yeah, I just said I was," John chuckled.

"So you wouldn't be opposed to a date?"

John looked up at Sollux who was looking down at him with a smile, "I would have asked earlier but I wasn't sure which way you went."

"I- I'm sorry but I can't" John stuttered looking down at the floor, "I have a boyfriend," he blushed slightly and smiled as he thought of Dirk and his dorky pointed anime shades.

"I have a boyfriend, too," Sollux said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Then why did you-"

"It's an open relationship. We can go on dates with other people just not _**go out-**_ go out with them," he explained.

John furrowed his eyebrows, "I'm not sure I understand."

Sollux ruffled his hair, "It's alright little dude."

John swatted at Sollux's hand and laughed, trying to fix his hair.

Another hour and a half later, John's shifted ended. He clocked out and grabbed his bag; he popped some gum into his mouth and headed out the back door. He walked over to Patronus, getting in and starting it up. It sputtered and died.

_God damn it, not again_, he thought as he hopped out of his car, popping the hood. He checked what was wrong last time and saw that it was perfectly fine.

Sighing, John pulled out his phone, dialing the number for Dirk's speed-dial.

A familiar truck pulled up behind Hot Topic. John perked up as it parked next to his car.

"Need some help?" a voice called. Dirk stepped out, a small smirk on his lips.

John blew a bubble and popped it with his teeth, "Yeah, I'm not sure why it won't start this time."

"Hmm," Dirk moved over, looking under the hood and shaking his head, "I don't what ya did but it's gonna take some time before I can repair it."

John let out a groan, "Damn it and I was supposed to pick up Jane and the others from the airport tomorrow!"

"I'll take you, don't have a meltdown," he chuckled, ruffling John's hair. John started to blow another bubble. Dirk popped with his teeth, "Gum from Mitsuwa? Can I have some?"

"Sure," John said, turning to pull it out of his bag. Dirk tugged his face back, kissing him. John gasped in surprise and Dirk stole his gum.

"Thanks," he said with a smirk.

"Hey!" John exclaimed, "That's my gum!"

"Want it back?"

"Yeah!"

Dirk laughed, kissing him again and giving his gum back.

"Welcome to Off Beat! Is there anything I can help you with?" a man asked As John and Dirk walked into the music store.

"Yeah I was looking for a new guitar," John said.

"Ah I see. Are you a beginner or an advanced?"

"Advanced, but I'm not looking for anything super fancy," John replied, walking over to look at a jet black guitar with white painted around the hole, "Something like this!"

He picked up the guitar and strummed, listening to the sound. "Perfect," he whispered.

"Care to play a little something?" the clerk asked, "It's always fun when an advanced customer plays something."

John nodded with a smile and started playing the notes to "When you were young" by The Killers.

He had gathered quit the crowd when he had finished and earned a cheer.

"Looking for a job kid?" A lady asked from the crowd, "I'm looking for a consultant to work on weekends."

"I'd love to!" John replied, "I'll have to work out a new schedule with my current Job, but I'll gladly take the job!"

"Great! I'll give you the application form," she walked away and the crowd dispersed.

John and Dirk left a few minutes later with the guitar and an application.

**A/N: :P**


	18. Chapter 18

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Guys… She's absolutely perfect! The Dave I found is PERFECT! I was talking to her and she was saying I was cuter than Mituna and that she would be my Latula and then I suggested she be my Dave and she flipped out in excitement w Hehe there are no words to describe how I'm feeling right now**

**Chapter 18**

"John!"

John turned around and was caught up in one of the tightest hugs ever. "Hey Jane!" he squeaked, hugging her back, "Jane this is Dirk, Dirk be careful or she'll crush you."

Jane let go of John and turned to Dirk, extending a hand, "I've heard a lot you Mr. Strider!"

"Nice to meet ya," He responded, taking her hand and shaking it. She tugged him close forcefully, "Be nice to John. He's been through more than you could ever know."

Dirk nodded, "Of course, I can tell just by looking at him that he's been through hell."

They smiled at each other and turned to see John greeting and hugging four other people. One was a girl with short blonde hair, black lip stick, and deep eyes. She was holding hands with another girl with short black hair and a long red skirt. There were also two boys, one tall with curly/messy hair with an arm around the shoulders of the other, who was short with hair like John's.

Dirk walked over, catching a fragment of their conversation.

"Karkat, I didn't know you were bringing Gamzee!" John said looking up at the taller boy, "It's been forever! How've you been Gam?"

"Ah you know bro, pretty motherfucking awesome!" Gamzee exclaimed ruffling John's hair. John swatted his hand away with a laugh, mumbling about not being able to fix his hair.

Jane cleared her throat, "Johnny-boy, I believe introductions are in order."

"Oh right! Sorry, the tall guy here is Gamzee, the shorty next to him is Karkat," John said, Earning an 'I'm not that short' from Karkat. "This lovely lady is Rose, you talked to her on the phone, and this is her girlfriend Kanaya."

Dirk nodded in greeting to all of them, "Ready to head over to the complex?"

They all picked up their bags and followed John and Dirk out of the airport.

"Damn I just realized I don't have enough room in my truck for seven people," Dirk stated.

Gamzee spoke up, "No problem bro, I had my motherfukin' motorcycle flown here. Karkat and I will take that."

"Sweet, is it a Harley?"

"Ducati."

"Nice."

The two fist bumped before they went their separate ways.

"Alright ladies, just toss your stuff in the back and hop in," Dirk said when they got to the truck.

"John this is such a charming little apartment!" Kanaya exclaimed when they entered John's apartment, "Although the walls seem a little empty. Don't you have a bunch of posters?"

"Yeah I do, I've just been too busy to put them up," John replied with a chuckle.

"Well we have time now," Rose stated.

John laughed, "You two and your need for decorations. Alright I'll get them out."

He walked into his room and opened the closet pulling out a couple of boxes filled with posters and small framed pictures to put on the tables. He carried the boxes back out into the living room, giving the ones with the posters to Rose, Kanaya, and Jane, telling them to go nuts.

John himself sat on the couch, rummaging through his pictures. There were a lot from before high school. He smiled at the little, chubby boy in the picture sitting in a pile of leaves and wearing a dark blue jacket and mittens.

"Well isn't that an adorable picture," a voice whispered behind him, making him jump.

He was met with Dirk's shaded eyes and sighed, "You know, I hate it when you sneak up on me like that."

"Yupp, but it's fun," he hopped over the back of the couch and sat down next to John, pulling some pictures out of the box.

As Dirk looked through the pictures, he noticed a change in how John looked_. I guess this is when it all started_, he thought. Even though he was smiling in the pictures, there was sadness etched into the small boy's face.

"Come on!" John exclaimed, hopping up and pulling Dirk with him, "Let's put these on the tables."

They set up the pictures throughout the apartment, putting two or three on each table. After all the pictures were up and all the posters were hanging on the wall's, the apartment felt more like home to John.

"What are the sleeping arrangements?" Rose asked as they all sat down in the living room.

John rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not really sure. This couch has a bed that folds out so two people can sleep here. My bed is only a single so one person can sleep there."

"Looks like you're stayin with me kid," Dirk said, hugging John, "The ladies can stay in your apartment and the other two can crash on the futon in my apartment."

"Sounds like a plan! Now, would you boys mind stepping out so we can get settled?" Jane chimed, pushing John and Dirk out of the apartment.

John sighed, "Knowing them, they won't be out until tomorrow. Geez, kicking me out of my own apartment without even letting me get a change of clothes."

Dirk chuckled, leading him into his apartment, "Maybe some of Dave's old clothes will fit you."

"That kid is skinnier than me. He's like a twig!" John exclaimed.

"True," Dirk mumbled, walking over to the closet in his room and rummaging through the clothes. He pulled out a large sweater (A/N: a pullover but no hood), "It may be a little big, but it's better than sleeping in your clothes."

"Oh I love oversized sweaters!" John said as he went to the bathroom to change.

He peeked his head out a couple minutes later, "Dirk, do you have any sweat pants or something?"

"You kidding? It's hot enough as it is without them," he stated, "Just sleep in your boxers."

"Alright," John yawned, stepping out of the bathroom.

Dirk placed a hand on his chest, "And here I thought you couldn't get cuter."

John rolled his eyes and sat next to him on the bed. Dirk noticed a tattoo that wrapped around his calf. It was in the shape of a salamander.

"And that is…?"

"What, this? It's a tribute to my pet salamander that died after I graduated," he replied.

"Do you have any other tattoos?" Dirk asked, laying back and linking his hands behind his head.

"Wouldn't you like you know?" John replied with a wink.

"Well now I'm curious," Dirk said, pulling John down to lay next to him.

"Good," he stated, kissing Dirk on the cheek before snuggling closer and falling asleep.

**A/N: X3 I am in such a good mood right now like you guys have no idea!**


	19. Chapter 19

**New Neighbor, New Crush**

**A/N: Wow I have not updated in a while! Sorry, my teachers are finally giving us a ton of HW and I've been absolutely exhausted!**

**Chapter 19**

"No, you're not allowed to be here while we practice!" Karkat yelled at Dirk.

"This is MY apartment, kid. If you want to practice go somewhere else," Dirk scoffed, crossing his arms.

John appeared in the living room, yawning from just being woken up, "Can I please just sleep in for one day?"

Karkat whipped around, "No you can't, because your ass of a boyfriend just has to start up an argument over everything!"

John sighed, "I really didn't want to have to do this, especially when I just woke up, but it can't be helped," he pulled Karkat into a headlock. The smaller kid struggled, swearing up a storm trying to get free, but John held tight, not even fazed by Karkat's attempts at escape.

"Alright, alright I give! I GIVE!"

"No more arguments at eight in the morning?"

"I promise we won't argue anymore!"

John let Karkat go with a laugh, "Thanks bro!"

"Yeah, whatever, I'm going to help Gam with breakfast," Karkat mumbled before walking into the kitchen.

John sat down on the couch with another yawn. Dirk sat next to him throwing an arm across his shoulders, "You sure have that kid whipped!"

"Not really, he knows I hate being woken up early. Besides if I get up to early I get sick," John said, resting his head on Dirk's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"You're not sick now are you?" he asked, slightly concerned. It had only been about two weeks since his anemia thing happened and he didn't think him getting sick now would help in any way.

John chuckled, "No, I'm fine. When I do get sick, it's usually just a really bad stomach ache."

Dirk ran his hand through the boy's hair, kissing his forehead. John shifted so that his head rested on Dirk's thigh and his legs hung off the arm of the couch, arms resting on his stomach.

"Oh so I'm a pillow now?" Dirk asked with a slight laugh.

"Mhmm, a rather comfy pillow, too," John replied, smiling back.

Dirk dramatically pressed a hand to his forehead, "John I'm hurt you would call me an inanimate object!"

John laughed and rolled his eyes, stretching up and kissing Dirk's chin. Dirk broke from his performance to kiss him back, this time on the lips. His arm hooked under John, lifting him up slightly, while the other lay across the boy's stomach. John linked his hand with Dirks and the other he ran through his blond hair.

"Johnathon Egbert!"

They two quickly pulled apart, looking over at the door to see Kanaya, arms crossed.

"Yes Kanaya?" John asked, looking a bit frazzled.

"I just looked through your wardrobe, young man, and I have to say you need some help. Rose and I are taking you shopping after breakfast, no if, and's, or but's," she announced.

"Kanaya I don't exactly have the money to spend on a whole new wardrobe. Besides my clothing choice is perfectly fine!" he replied, trying to get out of having to go clothes shopping.

"I agree with John," Dirk stated.

"Well did I ask you, Mr. Shades? I don't think so, so lay off. John if you refuse to go shopping, then I'm making you clothes and I refuse to take no for an answer," and with that she stormed out.

"Can she really make clothes?" Dirk inquired, looking down at John.

"Yeah she owns her own shop in Washington with her two sisters," John answered.

"What about the others?"

"Rose works at Hot Topic, Karkat works at Game Stop, Jane is the head of Betty Crocker co., and Gamzee is a security guard."

"So you're saying that your cousin runs one of the biggest industries in the world?"

"Mhmm, Jane Crocker."

Dirk nodded his head. "Now, where were we?"

John giggled, "That, we can continue later. Right now I need some food!"

"You totally just ruined the moment."

John rolled his eyes, standing up and pulling Dirk with him.

"Ok sir, we have these for your choices in piercing. Take a minute to look those over while I get the tools!" the lady said handing John a clear box show-casing different nose piercings.

"Tongue, eyebrow, lip, ears, and no nose? You really are obsessed with piercings," Dirk stated as John looked over the piercings.

"Hey, one you get one you want to get more, it's pretty easy to become addicted," John said, "What do you think, stud or ring?"

"Hmmm, ring."

The lady came back with the tools needed for the nose piercing, "Have you decided which one you would like?"

John nodded, showing her which one he wanted. The lady smiled, getting out said piercing and preparing to apply the nose ring.

"Geez, it's been a while since I've gotten a new piercing. I forgot how much it hurt!" John exclaimed as he held some ice to his nose.

"No pity for self-infliction," Rose said as she read her book.

John rolled his eyes, "I don't remember you saying how much nose piercings hurt."

"That is because it was not important."

John sighed, allowing himself to be pulled into Dirk's lap.

"So what are the plans for the week until your birthday?" she asked looking up from her book.

John shrugged, "Honestly I didn't have time to make any plans so you all are pretty much free to do whatever you like."

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

**A/N: I re-wrote this since the first time I wrote it, it was really bad and when I wrote it I wasn't really in the mood for writing. Anyways, sorry I didn't update all week. My teachers gave a lot of homework and I had to practice a guitar duet that I'm being tested on in class and it's really difficult DX**

**And I've finally reached 100 followers on tumblr, yet not one sends me asks. I don't even get anon asks! That's all I ever ask them for is one little ask ;A;**


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